


One Special Night

by bromfieldhall



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-10-14
Updated: 2004-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:00:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4184235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bromfieldhall/pseuds/bromfieldhall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A heated encounter with cynical stranger, William Saunders, on a winter's night gives sensible, Elizabeth Summers a chance to act out of character and leaves her with memories she'll treasure forever. But then, he unexpectedly reappears...</p><p>AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Chilly Start

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Mutant Enemy Productions. I retain rights to the plot, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 1 - A Chilly Start

Elizabeth Summers frowned as the clouds that had gathered ominously all afternoon began to shed their heavy load about four hours into her journey back home. Light at first, the flurries of snow soon began to thicken until she'd been forced to slow her car down to a crawl.

Seeing that traffic was bad on the motorway, she chose to take an alternative route along less used roads and was now beginning to regret her decision. Now only an hour from home and with darkness falling, she appeared to be the only one on the road. As the snow began to fall even more thickly, she feared that if anything happened, she'd be stuck until the snowplough arrived and it wasn't a pleasant prospect.

Letting out an annoyed huff, she knew she only had herself to blame for leaving her parents house a few days later than she'd intended. As it was, she'd left her Uncle Rupert at a critical stage in his book and she knew he'd be desperate to get working on it again.

Naturally, when she'd explained this to her parents, they'd shared a wry smile and turned their mystified gazes to her, clearly not comprehending the appeal of returning to her uncle's home. Rupert was her father's elder brother, a confirmed bachelor who was more interested in books and the university he worked for than anything else.

Much as they loved her, she knew her parents just didn't understand her at all and although she thought she was used to it by now, their lack of understanding still managed to hurt. She often thought that they must wonder where on earth she'd come from; their reserved, diminutive daughter who preferred living a quiet life in rural Hertfordshire to travelling around the globe in search of adventure like themselves.

What they didn't realise was that, after spending most of her youth moving from state to state within America, all she really wanted to do was settle down in one place. Was that really so wrong?

Okay, maybe in this day and age, the fact that a female wanted nothing more than to have a home, a husband and a couple of kids was a little out of the ordinary, but not that weird surely?

She sighed. Maybe her unusual melancholy was because her younger sister, Dawn, had been home this time with her American fiancé, Connor, in tow. Both had been glowing with happiness and so clearly in love that it had made her heart ache, bringing back painful memories.

Once upon a time, she'd thought herself in love with a boy named Parker. It had been her last year of college when they lived in Sunnydale, California. They'd just moved…again…and she was feeling out of place and even more insecure than usual.

So, it shouldn't really have been of any surprise that she fallen so quickly and easily for Parker's charming ways. He was attentive from the first, his adoring interest and loving words reaching out and wrapping her up in their warm embrace until she was certain she'd found, 'The One'. Of course, it had all been a lie and she still remembered the day she'd found out his deception as if it were yesterday.

They'd been kissing in her dorm room and it had become more heated than usual. Feeling his hand slip under her blouse and creep slowly up to her chest, she'd pulled back and asked him to stop. Instead of the usual sheepish smile and apology she'd been expecting, however, Parker had stunned her by losing his temper.

"For Christ's sake Elizabeth! Do you want to be a virgin all your life?" he'd demanded angrily. "I mean, you should consider yourself lucky that I'm willing to overlook the fact that you've got no experience and don't seem to have any idea how to turn a man on or make yourself look anything near attractive."

Her hand had automatically gone to her carefully, but severely, plaited hair self-consciously and she'd swallowed hard past the lump in her throat, desperately holding back her tears.

"Look at you," he'd continued derisively as his eyes had raked over her baggy sweater and jeans contemptuously. "Did you honestly think I'd go to all this trouble because I actually wanted to fuck that frigid body of yours? Like hell! I was just…"

He'd stopped and looked away then leaving Elizabeth in no doubt that there was more to what he was going to say. "You might as well tell me everything because I'm never going to sleep with you, Parker," she'd told him quietly.

And then it had all come tumbling out. How getting her to have sex with him was merely in answer to a challenge from his friends that had quickly turned into a bet. A bet he'd invested heavily in himself, being so sure of his own charms. It had sickened her to hear the things he'd said but she'd mustered what was left of her dignity and reached for her cheque book before calmly asking how much he was owed.

He'd stated an amount and she'd written out a cheque and handed it over to him. He'd snatched it from her grasp and told her that compensating him was the least she could do and if she ever felt the urge to lose her virginal status, he'd be happy to oblige for a similar amount.

Her tears had started as soon as he'd left the room. The shocking realisation that she'd been thinking of engagements and marriage to a man who didn't even have the decency to appear ashamed of his own despicable actions, made her want to heave.

It had shaken her to the core that she was so gullible and she'd shunned any attempts from the opposite sex to get her to date for the rest of the time she was at college. All she wanted to do was get through her final exams in one piece and leave Sunnyhell as far behind as she could.

That's when Rupert had written and explained that he was going to take up a post at Cambridge University and asked if she wished to spend her year out after finals, staying with him and exploring England.

Her parents had been keen for her to spend the year travelling but Elizabeth had grabbed her uncle's offer with both hands, the thought of going to a different country where no-one knew her, appealing.

And so, she'd left and gone to stay at her uncle's old rambling home that stood just outside Cambridge. As time went on, she'd realised that she'd come to love the place and her Uncle Rupert so much that she decided to stay. Surprisingly, her parents had followed her over just a couple of years later and now resided in the Lake District near Windermere. They still travelled regularly and Dawn was definitely a girl after their own hearts, enjoying the thrill of visiting new and exciting places as much as she could.

Shortly after her parents moved, Rupert had started working on writing a book about the Occult and its effect on modern society. Elizabeth had offered to type up his notes and from there on out they'd become a winning combination as she'd surprisingly found that she had a talent in making her uncle's bland notes extremely readable.

At least, that's what her uncle's editor had told her when they'd spoke on the phone only a month before. Liam Connell was a friendly young man who had taken over his father's publishing firm and was determined to improve business. He flattered her non-stop over the phone, even going so far as to requesting that she call him by his nickname, Angel. He'd explained that his mother had called him that as a child and because he liked it, he wanted all his friends to use it, especially when he was positive they would become very good friends when they finally met.

Elizabeth wasn't so sure, but humoured him anyway. There was no way on earth she'd return the compliment, however. Her nickname was awful. Buffy. Just thinking it made her cringe. It sounded far too frivolous for someone as grounded as her and she constantly asked her parents to stop calling her it, but to no avail.

Dawn had started the whole thing off when she was a baby. Unable to pronounce Elizabeth properly, her younger sister had come up with what she, in her toddler mind, considered the nearest thing. Elizabeth's parents had loved it and had taken to calling her it as well. And now, years later, she was stuck with it.

At least her uncle didn't call her it though. He was aware of her dislike and refrained from using anything other than Elizabeth. Thinking about her uncle brought her mind back to the book and Angel. He'd made such an effort to be nice to her; she was sure he thought she might stop helping her uncle and therefore leave him without a finished book. Truth was, she didn't need buttering up. She was thoroughly enjoying her work and often stayed up late to finish up a chapter, especially the one's on the modern day witches, or Wiccan's, as they were more commonly called nowadays. She found those especially fascinating.

A bump in the road brought her out of her musings with a jolt and she blinked a couple of times at the sudden brightness that was directed straight at her. With a gasp, she realised that an oncoming vehicle was heading directly for her and immediately braked as she automatically turned the steering wheel in order to avoid a crash.

With a dawning horror, she felt the car slide and go into a spin before leaving the side of the road and going straight into a ditch. Hitting the bottom, it came to a stop jolting her forward so that she hit her head against the steering wheel. "Ow," she groused, touching her hand delicately to the bump that was now forming. "Just great!"

Unclasping her seatbelt, Elizabeth opened the car door and was immediately buffeted by the wind and snow that was eddying all around. Gripping her coat around herself tighter, she gingerly got out and surveyed the damage to her car. With a sinking feeling, she realised that it was well and truly stuck. Only a tow-truck was going to be able to pull it out now.

With a sigh of resignation, she mentally ran through what supplies she had in her car, thankful that her mother had insisted upon making her a flask of coffee and some sandwiches. Add to that a warm car rug and the fact that the road seemed to be deserted; Elizabeth was faced with the unwelcome reality that she'd have to spend the night in the car.

Just as she was about to open the boot to retrieve the rug, the distant sound of a car engine reached her ears and she turned back to the road. Squinting, she saw twin headlights heading her way and discerned the shape of a large vehicle in the swirling mass of white. Without thinking, she stepped out into the road, belatedly realising that the sudden sight of her would probably cause the driver to brake and possibly end up in the same predicament as herself.

The driver obviously thought the same and glared at her as he pulled to a halt, mouthing something she was sure was less than complimentary in her direction. He got out and slammed the door then stalked around the front of his car and came to a stop directly in front of her, allowing Elizabeth to get her first good look at the person who, she hoped, would be her saviour.

He was taller than her by a few inches and, from what she could tell under the thick sweater and long leather coat he wore, was of average build. His overlong hair was curly and if the dark rooted, white tipped strands were any indication, growing out of a bleach job. The lower part of his face sported a scraggly beard of more than a few days growth making it impossible to judge his features properly, but if his eyes were anything to go by then he was gorgeous. Bluer than anything she'd ever seen, his eyes felt as if they pierced her through to her very soul and she gave a small, involuntary gasp at the chill that ran up her spine. Dragging her gaze away, she noted that snug black jeans and sturdy boots finished his ensemble, giving him an air of 'bad boy', but to her relieved eyes, he looked like an angel. A scruffy one, but an angel nonetheless and she was certain that, for all his image, he would be helpful.

"Next time you decide to do something as bleedin' brainless as walking out in front of an oncoming car in a soddin' blizzard, I'll bloody run you over!" his deep voice suddenly ground out, the harshness of his tone causing her to wince slightly.

Or maybe not.

END CHAPTER ONE


	2. Into The Storm

CHAPTER TWO - Into The Storm

"Just what the bloody hell were you trying to do? Kill us both?" the ticked off man continued accusingly as he wiped the snow from his face and took another step closer to her.

The sudden move into Elizabeth's personal space, made her instinctively step back and she felt irritation flare up at his aggressive attitude. "Now, just a minute…" she began, ready to deliver a scathing retort, but he started speaking again, cutting off whatever she was going to say.

"You youngsters are all the flippin' same…not one lick of common sense within a hundred mile radius!"

Elizabeth stared at him in shock, his comments rendering her momentarily speechless. Just how old did he think she was for heaven's sake?! Despite appearances, she guessed he was around the thirty mark and she was twenty-four…hardly a massive difference.

"I mean, look at what you're wearing for Christ's sake," he said, waving a hand up and down in front of her to gesture her clothes. "Haven't you heard of a coat? You'll freeze in that ridiculous get-up and give the rescue services a nice cold present for their trouble when they waste their valuable resources on an idiot that didn't know when to stay at home."

Elizabeth was fuming. Her coat was still in the car, its padded bulkiness not conducive to driving. When she'd crashed, she'd automatically got out to check on the car. It was a natural thing to do. She was going to put it on before she got back in, but then he'd come along and distracted her. And as for her clothes…she glanced down and frowned slightly…they weren't that bad. Her jeans were soaking, but practical and her sweatshirt was warm and sensible. Okay, so it was borrowed from her sister after she'd run out of clean things and therefore was a little big for her, and yeah, it did have the dubious lettering, "If you're loaded, I'm single," written on the front in sparkly print, but still…

A muttered curse roused her from her self absorption and she looked up to see the man checking around her car and shaking his head.

"There's no way that's coming out without a pick-up," he told her curtly as he walked back over. His features hardened even further as he stared down at her and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm tempted to just leave you here to get a little taste of what happens when you ignore storm warnings but, I have a feeling that if I do tell you stay put, you'll probably just ignore that too and cause some other poor sod to crash." He gave another long-suffering sigh. "So, I suppose you'd better get your stuff and come with me."

The urge to tell him just where he could stick his offer rose in her throat almost immediately and she had to bite her tongue to keep from uttering a sound. Truth was, she didn't relish staying in her car overnight and the opportunity to avoid it was more compelling than her need to argue with the insufferable man in front of her. There would be plenty of time to tell him exactly what she thought of him once he dropped her off at the nearest town. As coldly as she could, she drew herself up to her full five foot three and announced that she would just get some things from her car.

His answer was a derisive snort and a muttering about women and their inability to go anywhere without make-up. Buffy bit back another retort, telling herself that she only had to put up with his company for a short time and then never see him again. Small price to pay for keeping warm and safe.

Turning away, she grabbed her coat and put it on, then retrieved the food and coffee and finally opened the trunk to retrieve the rug. Mentally ticking off that she'd got all the essentials, she then turned around and ploughed her way over to join him by his car, slightly miffed that he hadn't even bothered to offer his help. 'Some gentleman, he is,' she silently fumed as she took in his form leaning nonchalantly against the door, cigarette dangling from the fingers on his left hand.

Yuck! A smoker. Yet another reason to dislike the man.

With a quick flick of his wrist, the half-smoked cigarette flew through the air to land in the snow by her feet, the iced water extinguishing the lit end with a sizzle. As she looked back up at him, she saw him eye the items in her arms with a frown and shake his head, apparently finding more fault. "Typical student. Planning to sleep in the car, were you?"

"Look…" she began, determined to set him straight on that and few other things as well, but he once more disregarded her attempts to speak and introduced himself curtly.

"William Saunders," he said, gesturing to himself. "Friends call me, Spike."

"Mr. Saunders," Elizabeth acknowledged coldly, letting him know that she didn't consider him anything near a friend. Then, for the life of her, she didn't know why, she coolly added, "My name's Buffy."

Ignoring her pointed jibe by talking to him formally, his eyebrows then raised at hearing hers.

"It's a family name," she explained not untruthfully, then bristled in annoyance as she heard his mumbled, "It'd have to be," under his breath as he turned away and yanked open the door to his vehicle.

Turning back, he looked her up and down and then looked back at the height of the passenger door off the ground. The next thing she knew, his hands were on her waist and he was lifting her up. Surprise held her immobile as a riot of sensation hit her all at once. The feel of his hands on her body, the warmth of his breath grazing her cheek, the spicy aroma of whatever aftershave he was wearing, permeating the cold scent of the icy night. Then, as quick as the sensations had hit, they were over leaving her breathless as he dumped her unceremoniously on the seat and took her belongings from her unresisting hands.

Apparently unaware of her inner turmoil, William slammed her door shut, then walked around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat. "Where were you going?" he asked as he started up the engine. "To meet your boyfriend, no doubt. Well, if he's got any sense, he'd have stayed at home. Women." His last comment was uttered with such distaste that Elizabeth was left under no illusion that William Saunders had an extremely low opinion of her sex.

Deciding it was best just to try and ignore the man, Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder into the back and saw that there weren't any rear seats. Instead, there was a large backpack and a rolled up sleeping bag, along with her few possessions. Guessing he was probably into hiking or climbing, she turned back to look out of the front screen noting that the snow seemed to be falling heavier.

Secure in the knowledge that she'd soon be at the next town, she relaxed back into the seat and wondered at how she felt so comfortable with a stranger. Usually men intimidated her, but maybe his apparent aversion to females had encouraged her to let her guard down. She thought it was amusing that he believed she was so young, but found that she rather liked the false image…perhaps that's why she gave him her nickname instead. It somehow completed the whole surreal evening.

With a soft sigh, she felt her eyelids begin to droop and it wasn't long before the rhythmic sound of the wipers combined with the warmth generated from the heaters lulled her into a deep sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

William glanced over at the sleeping female next to him then turned his concentration back to the hazardous conditions he was negotiating with a disapproving frown. He knew he'd made a mistake leaving the Pennines later than he'd planned. It was just that with the appointment he had to attend the next day, he knew that it would be his last chance to do some hiking for a while and so he took advantage.

Of course, he was paying for it now by having to pick up that stupid female. He glanced over again. She was such a tiny little thing, so young and innocent looking…well, apart from that ridiculous top and its dubious invite.

Still, women were good at pretending to be something they weren't. His ex-fiancée, Drusilla, had shown him that when he'd found her in bed with another man three days before their wedding day. He'd thought she loved him. She'd certainly acted as if she had. Took him in completely. And when she'd begged and pleaded with him to take her back, he'd been so tempted, God help him…until he found out that she was only interested in his money.

He gave a derisive snort. Buffy's sweatshirt would have been put to better use being worn by Dru. At least it would give other poor unsuspecting sods a less than subtle warning. Not that many men would resist her, they couldn't. She was just too captivating.

His mother, God rest her, had said that twenty-two was far too young to tie himself down anyway and that gold-diggers were the price you had to pay for having money. Well, that was one cost he certainly didn't want to fork out for again, the whole experience had put him off relationships for good.

Oh, there had been women of course, especially at first, but never a committed relationship. No, he'd favoured the no strings attached kind of airhead bimbo's that would give him pleasure when he wanted it and disappear when he didn't. It wasn't a time he was particularly proud of and he'd soon found that his emotionally detached attitude to life was ultimately unfulfilling, not to mention incredibly boring.

So, for the past few years, there'd been no-one as he'd thrown himself whole-heartedly into his work. And he was happy with that.

Until now.

For some reason, the young woman, with the rather doubtful name of Buffy, who was sleeping so trustingly next to him, was uncomfortably reminding him that he was in fact a man and not a monk.

When he'd held her, his hands had fitted around her waist so easily making her seem so fragile. When he picked her up, the scent of vanilla had wafted over him, reaching out and tugging on his senses, enticing him to bring her closer. When her breath had caressed his cheek it had felt like pure silk against his skin and when he'd looked at her, he'd found himself drowning in the greenest eyes he'd ever seen.

Unable to stop himself, he looked over at her once again and briefly wondered if he'd actually imagined the colour. At that same moment, the road dipped suddenly for a few hundred yards onto a stretch of road that was exposed to the full force of the blizzard. He immediately turned his attention back to the road when he felt the car lurch, but it was too late…the vehicle was already ploughing into a seven foot drift of snow.

END CHAPTER TWO


	3. Starting To Melt

CHAPTER THREE - Starting To Melt

Elizabeth awoke in time to hear William's savage curse and feel the car coming to a jarring stop. Blinking sleepily, she took in their predicament and slowly sat up. "Can we dig our way out?" she asked, turning to look at him.

William gave her a sharp, disbelieving look. Was she serious? The women he knew would rather die of exposure than risk breaking a nail. "I think I'll try reversing first," he said, reaching out to restart the car.

"I don't think it's worth it," Elizabeth replied matter-of-factly. "If it's like this here, the road will be blocked further down near the river anyway. It's always the first place that gets flooded or clogged-up when the bad weather hits."

William gave her another assessing look but, recalling the stretch of road she was talking about, he had to agree. "Looks like we're stuck then," he muttered unhappily, internally cursing himself for leaving late again. If he hadn't been having doubts about that interview for a new job tomorrow…

Damn it! Now he was going to have to spend the night with an idiotic female that smelled good enough to eat. Vanilla always was one of his favourite scents and in the close confines of the car; Buffy was practically making his mouth water. He let his eyes drop down to her mouth and wondered if she'd taste as good as she smelled.

"Maybe we should get out and make sure we can't dig our way out," Elizabeth suddenly suggested, breaking into his musings.

Grabbing the excuse like a lifeline, William reached over for his door handle and gave it a tug. He was letting his mind wander to things it shouldn't. A few minutes outside in the freezing cold were just the ticket to douse the growing, rather painful, interest he was having in Buffy. "You stay here, I'll go. Not worth both of us getting soaked."

Elizabeth was about to point out that she already was soaked, but he'd opened the door and jumped out before she could even utter the first word. "Fine, go get yourself totally wet and catch your death of cold," she muttered irately as she watched he stand outside. "Probably don't think I could check it over as good as you anyway, me being female and all."

Outside, William drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, feeling some of the tension leave his body. The snow fell steadily down all around him and he tilted his head back to let it cover his face. "Better than a cold shower," he muttered grimly then took another deep, bracing breath. Finally feeling a lot more relaxed in all regions of his person; he then began to check the car.

Inside the vehicle, time ticked on and Elizabeth had to begrudgingly give him credit. She didn't think she would have stayed outside as long as William, nor been so thorough. She watched him make his way back to the driver's door and gasped at the rush of cold air that came in when it opened abruptly.

"We can't dig her out," he confirmed as he brushed the worst of the snow from his duster and jeans before getting back into the car. "Looks like we're stuck for the night."

"Probably," Elizabeth agreed with a nod. "The snowplough will come through tomorrow morning though. It's just a shame we can't at least get the car over to the side of the road so that it would be able to get through better."

"Yeah," William commented as he gave her a considering look. Perhaps she wasn't so stupid after all. There certainly wasn't any sign of panic emanating from her slim frame.

Beside him, Elizabeth was oblivious to his perusal as she mentally sorted through the supplies they had. At the same time, she tried to remember the many rules of survival that her parents had ceaselessly drummed into her from an early age when they expected her to follow in their adventurous footsteps. Unfortunately, the one that kept rising persistently to the surface was the one that she kept desperately trying to push back down.

Body heat was the best way to stop hypothermia.

Glancing over her shoulder, her gaze fixed on the sleeping bag and felt her stomach give a nervous roll. At some point tonight, she was going to have to suggest that they share the bag and it frightened that hell out of her. Turning back, she shifted uncomfortably in her wet jeans. She really wanted to take them off and wrap the rug around her legs but she couldn't even pluck up the courage to do that.

As if reading her mind, William suddenly said, "You'd best get out of those jeans before you catch pneumonia. You can borrow a pair of mine to wear while they dry."

Elizabeth found her eyes drawn to his legs at his suggestion and couldn't help but feel a little flushed at the thought of wearing something that had been in close contact with his skin. "Uh, thanks, but I'll just use the rug. No problem."

"You can't, we'll both need that later," William replied, looking away as her startled gaze flew to his face. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, trust me, but very soon, the temperature is going to drop…fast…and we need to conserve as much body heat as we can…in any way we can." He paused and glanced at his watch, wondering how to say what he had to next and decided the direct approach was best. "Nine o'clock. It's a little early to think about going to sleep but under the circumstances…" He trailed off and cleared his throat slightly before adding, "I have a sleeping bag in the back that's large enough for both of us. We'll use that and the rug."

Even though Elizabeth knew they had no choice and she'd been considering saying the exact same thing herself, the fact that he'd said it first brought an automatic protest to her lips. "But, I can't…"

"Look luv," William suddenly interrupted with barely contained ire. "This isn't some kind of sexual come-on, if that's what you're thinking. I'd be saying the exact same thing if you were a bloke and, trust me, if I had a choice between sharing that sleeping bag with a man, a woman or a dog right now, I'd choose the dog…every time."

"Gee, thanks," she murmured sarcastically as she turned her head to stare blankly out of the window. 'And hello, Parker the second,' she added to herself unhappily, stung by his comment. God, just how many more men were going to tell her she was unattractive in the most cutting and hurtful way possible?

Beside her, William took a deep breath and tried to calm down. What was it with this female that made him act like this? He shook his head and risked a glance in her direction. The answer was simple. He was attracted to her…more than attracted. And it scared the life out of him. But at least it explained why he'd got so annoyed when she'd begun to object to sharing the bag. Explained a lot of his reactions tonight. It was a defence mechanism, pure and simple. That, and the fact that she didn't seem to be at all interested in him. Not that he wanted her to interested of course. Far too young.

But still…

It hurt.

And, honestly, did she really think that he'd take advantage of her in such a cold and unromantic setting?

Unbidden, he conjured up an image of her lying on a bed of silken sheets, her tousled hair fanned out across a soft pillow, those amazing green eyes slightly glazed with passion, soft pout on her luscious lips…

'Stop it!' he told himself firmly as the image rapidly restored his erection to its previous, painfully hard, state in a matter of seconds. Great. Shifting in his seat, he covered his discomfiture by taking his irritation out on the object of his imagination.

Again.

"If you want to catch your death of cold, then by all means, sit out here all night long. I'm getting in the back," he told her gruffly.

Tearing her eyes away from the falling snow, Elizabeth fixed her gaze on him and slowly shook her head. She was already getting cold and knew what he'd suggested was the right thing to do. "No, I'll sleep in the bag." She swallowed hard. "With you. My father used to be a volunteer for a mountain rescue group in America and he'd be the first to agree with everything you've said."

William stared at her in amazement. "Your father?" he repeated, dubiously. "If that's true then what in the hell was he doing letting you go driving about in weather like this in the first place?"

"Let me?" Elizabeth retorted with a snort. "I'm an adult, not a child, Mr. Saunders. I make my own decisions."

It was William's turn to snort this time. "An adult?" he scoffed, looking her up and down. "What are you…seventeen? Eighteen?"

"Actually," Elizabeth said with a small smile. "I'm twenty-four."

Twenty-four! William was shocked. It must be because she was so tiny that she looked so much younger. His eyes tracked over her face. A woman and not a girl as he'd thought…and not so innocent either, even if her eyes did look unawakened and unaware.

Gathering his scattered thoughts together, he pursed his lips and chose his next words carefully. "Well then, seeing as you're older than I thought and you're dad's a ex-mountain rescue man, I'm thinking that it won't come as a surprise when I say that body heat works best if there's no clothes getting in the way."

While he'd been digesting the fact that she was an adult, Elizabeth had been watching the play of emotions on his face and found her eyes drawn to his mouth. It was actually a very nice mouth; under that beard; with a full lower lip that her wondering what it'd feel like to run her finger along. She was so caught up in her musings that it took a couple of seconds for what he'd said to sink in. "Huh? You want me naked?"

The moment the words were out, Elizabeth flushed scarlet and slapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened in mortification.

William's response was a raised eyebrow and small quirk of his lips. "Now there's a leading question," he replied, amusement warming the cold look in his eyes for the first time since she'd met him. "And as much as I'm tempted to say yes, I think leaving your underwear on would be a good idea in this case." He paused, smile widening slightly as he added, "Unless you don't want to, of course?

Elizabeth let her hand fall from her mouth and vigorously shook her head at his hopeful expression.

William sighed. "Pity," he said then glanced at her and away with an almost embarrassed look. "I'm afraid I won't be able to be so accommodating. Unfortunately, I stayed a couple of days longer than I anticipated and…" He trailed off and looked back at her, shrugging awkwardly.

The realisation of what he was trying to say, hit her like a freight train. He wasn't wearing anything under his jeans. Automatically, her eyes flew to his crotch and felt the heat invading her cheeks with renewed vigour.

God, even the most innocent touch of his hands on her waist when he'd lifted her had sparked more reaction out of her than she'd ever known before. How on earth was she going to survive lying next to him the in the close confines of a sleeping bag? And nearly naked at that?

A slight cough had her remember that she was still staring at his lap and she hurriedly jerked her gaze away, deciding that the heat suffusing her face was now a permanent fixture. Maybe she wouldn't need to share the bag after all. She certainly was generating enough heat on her own.

William watched her mounting embarrassment with growing amusement until he saw her give an involuntary shiver. Immediately, his mirth died and was replaced with a frown. "You're freezing, luv," he commented as he began manoeuvring himself between the seats and into the back. "I'll get some coffee and you get out of those wet jeans. While you're drinking, I can sort out the sleeping bag and then we can get some sleep."

Elizabeth wanted to object but, in truth, her legs were starting to go numb from the cold and she couldn't put it off any longer. The temperature was already starting to drop at a frightening pace and she suppressed another shiver before slumping down in the seat in order to make the removal of her jeans slightly easier. With trembling hands, she fumbled with the button before pulling down the zip and struggled out of the wet material.

Letting them drop into a soggy heap on the floor, she, for once, found herself extremely grateful of the fact that her younger sister was taller than her. The sweatshirt she'd borrowed fell to mid-thigh, allowing her to keep some of her modesty in tact. Especially since the underwear she had on was a brief, lacy set that could be considered provocative despite the fact that she'd never intended anyone else to see it.

"Coffee?" came the stark voice from the rear of the vehicle. The next minute a steaming plastic cup was shoved under her nose and the rich aroma of its contents was filling her nostrils.

"Thanks," she said, taking the cup and blowing gently across the top in order to cool the black liquid down somewhat.

"Better hurry up and drink that. It's getting colder and you need to get warmed up," William informed her as he grabbed the sleeping bag and pulled its cover off. He busied himself unrolling the bag and checking the zipper, then grabbed the rug and laid it on the floor before placing the bag on top of one half and folding the other over the top of the bag, thus adding extra warmth.

That done, he slipped his duster off and laid that on top to provide another layer then looked up at Elizabeth. "You done?" he asked.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and nodded. Turning so that she could squeeze through the front seats and into the back, she didn't realise that the sweatshirt got trapped beneath her body causing the back to ride up.

As William watched her try to get in the back, he glanced up at the rear-view mirror and was treated to the glorious sight of Elizabeth's backside as she wriggled through the gap. Seeing that the scrap of material she wore revealed more than it hid, his breath caught in his throat almost causing him to choke as he desperately tried to tear his eyes away from the erotic view.

"I think I'm stuck," Elizabeth announced.

He watched as she wriggled about a bit more and swallowed hard as her motions were accompanied by breathless little grunts and moans as she valiantly attempted to pull herself through. God, she was killing him without even knowing it!

"Could you give me a hand?" she asked, looking up at him through the curtain of her hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.

With Herculean effort, he forced down the urge to ask where exactly she wanted his hand and finally managed to look away from the mirror. Once the mesmerising sight was gone from his direct gaze, self-loathing rose within him like a tidal wave at taking advantage of Buffy like that. Anger at his lack of self-discipline had him reach over and grab her roughly by the arms then haul her none too gently over the seats and all but drop her onto the car floor.

"Oh!" she exclaimed at the sudden manhandling that left her bruised and breathless and in no doubt of how much he disliked her. She had thought they'd been getting on better but by the way he'd moved over to the far side of the car after he'd dropped her and was now tugging his boots off in angry, jerky movements, she knew she'd been wrong.

William threw his boots down by the rear tailgate and ignored the way Elizabeth flinched as the loud noise reverberated around the silent car. His socks followed the boots and then he got to his knees and pulled his sweater off in one fluid tug. His T-shirt came next and it wasn't until his hands went to his jeans that he looked up to see Elizabeth staring at him in rapt attention.

"You going to get that top off and get in now or you waiting for the free show first?" he asked indifferently as he yanked open the button on the denim.

Elizabeth jumped at the sound of his voice and raised embarrassed eyes to his face. She hadn't meant to stare but once she'd started she just couldn't seem to stop. Who knew that underneath all that clothing his body was just so…so…yummy?

Lean with well-defined abdominal and pectoral muscles, not to mention surprisingly muscular arms, that all rippled and flexed sinuously under his smooth pale skin in perfect harmony whenever he moved. She never knew that the male body could be so beautiful.

"Opting for the free show, eh?" William pressed when Elizabeth made no effort to answer him. "Alright then."

The sight of his hand moving to his zipper was enough to rouse Elizabeth from her trance and she let out a small 'eep' before sliding into the bag and removing her top under the cover. After placing the sweatshirt by the side of the sleeping bag, she turned on her side so that her back faced the centre and automatically tensed up as she waited for him to join her.

Not wanting to lose anymore body heat, William quickly divested himself of his jeans and lifted the end of the sleeping so that he could get in. Determinedly ignoring the slim back that was revealed to him, he slipped his legs in then turned on his side and slithered the rest of the way into the bag. Needless to say, even though he was cautious, he couldn't get in without coming into some contact with Elizabeth and each brief touch sent a flame of desire straight to his throbbing cock. Knowing he was in for a long night, William angrily wrenched the zip of the sleeping bag up and cursed himself for suggesting the stupid idea of sharing in the first place.

END CHAPTER THREE


	4. The Big Thaw

CHAPTER 4 - The Big Thaw

Elizabeth lay still as she listened to William pull the zip of the sleeping bag up, encasing them both in a cocoon-like state. The inevitable touch of his body brushing against hers as he'd got in had sent shockwave upon shockwave of sensation shooting through her entire body, causing arousal so swift it almost took her breath away. Even Parker at his most coaxing had never made her react with the sudden spurt of awareness that William unknowingly inspired.

Rigid with tension, she found herself scared to go to sleep in case she gave in to the lustful impulses that suddenly arose within her at his close proximity. She, who had never felt the urge to make a pass at any man in her entire life, was now struggling to control herself.

Where had these feelings come from? The man was arrogant and rude and yet his briefest of touches had her wanting to reach out and run her fingers over his firm chest and ridged abs while planting soft kisses along that strong, male throat…

"For Christ's sake, relax, woman! I'm not going to touch you!" William suddenly snapped, interrupting her mental wanderings.

Swallowing hard, Elizabeth silently acknowledged his words believing them to be true and at the same time wished she could honestly say the same thing in return. Instead, she opted to remain silent in the vague hope that he would just assume she was asleep.

Next to her William let out a soft groan and told himself that the discomfort he was feeling wasn't because he daren't breathe for fear of accidentally coming into contact with Buffy's soft skin again. The tension that emanated from the slim body behind him was palpable and he mentally cursed himself for being the reason.

Dear God but he hoped she hadn't seen the way he'd ogled her backside in the mirror. Naturally, as soon as he'd thought about it, the image of her rounded behind and barely there covering flashed brightly into his mind causing him to let out another muffled moan. Closing his eyes, he let fantasy take over and pictured himself reaching out, grabbing her hips and pulling her back towards him onto his hard…

'No! Stop this!' he commanded himself as he opened his eyes and stared blankly at the wheel arch of his car. This was ridiculous. He shouldn't be harbouring these kind of thoughts about a complete stranger who'd probably had a string of lovers and made it more than clear that she had no desire to include him in their number.

He couldn't even blame her for his predicament either. She'd done nothing to lead him on…this was all him. All his overactive imagination and raging libido. He just prayed he didn't turn over in his sleep and put his fantasies into action.

Half an hour later and no closer to subduing his unruly body, which was beginning to chafe rather uncomfortably against the rough nylon of the bag, he knew what he had to do.

Elizabeth felt him move and tensed before realising that he was attempting to get up. "Where are you going?" she automatically queried, concerned that she'd somehow conveyed her feelings to him even though she'd been so, so careful not to touch him.

William stilled. He'd thought she was asleep. "I thought I'd stay awake in case the snowplough came along," he lied smoothly. "Like you said earlier, we can't move out of the way and I don't really want us getting hit."

Elizabeth frowned as she listened to him speak. He was lying. "You and I both know that the plough won't come out this late at night, especially when it's still snowing," she challenged quietly.

Silence followed her statement and William warred with himself internally before expelling a long breath. "Alright, I lied," he admitted reluctantly and then warned more harshly, "but you won't like the truth so just leave it."

He started to move again and Elizabeth turned slightly onto her back then looked over her shoulder at him. "It's still snowing, you'll freeze if you get out."

"And if I stay one more minute then I won't be able to keep my hands of you, alright?!" he retorted savagely as turned slightly onto his stomach then propped himself up on his elbow and looked back at her. "Happy now?"

Elizabeth reddened and stared at him in shock. "You don't mean that," she whispered, sounding dazed.

"I shouldn't, but it's the truth and that's what you wanted wasn't it?" he goaded, seemingly unable to stop himself now he'd started. "I want you. I want you in my arms, under my body. I want to touch every inch of your skin…taste it. I want to know what it feels like to shag you senseless until both neither you or I can walk and then…I want to feel it all over again!" He paused then his face twisted into one of self-loathing as he took in her shocked features.

Great, now he'd frightened the chit. He hadn't meant to say all that, it'd just come tumbling out before he could flick his internal 'verbal diarrhoea' switch to the off position. What a git.

Looking away, he shook his head. "Trust me, I know what you're thinking and right at this minute you can't despise me anymore than I already do myself."

Obviously he wasn't a good a mind reader as he'd thought because far from being horrified by his blunt admission as she'd expected, Elizabeth found herself extremely turned on. Heat suffused her entire form and her breasts tingled where they strained against the lace of her bra. Between her legs, a fresh rush of liquid escaped making her panties wetter than she'd ever thought possible and her breathing had become surprisingly laboured.

This was wrong. She shouldn't be feeling this way about someone she'd just met. Not her. This wasn't who she was. It had to stop. Now. And she was going to tell him just that.

So why, when she opened her mouth to tell him to go, did she actually ask in a ridiculously hopeful tone, "Do you really want to make love to me?"

Face still averted, William was silent for a while, unsure of where she was going with the question but knowing that he couldn't really deny it after giving her such a detailed description of what he wanted to do. "Yes, why?" he finally answered, dispassionately.

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and tried not to think of the enormity of what she was about to say as she announced more calmly than she felt, "I feel the same way. I want to make love to you too."

There. She'd said it. Her need was voiced and now she'd opened herself up for his acceptance or rejection. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she felt this urgency for William, all she knew was that she'd responded to something within him that had struck an answering chord in her.

William was stunned. Was she joking or did she mean it? She'd certainly not shown any indication of being interested in him before now, his brain reminded him, but his body was refusing to listen. The desire he'd been struggling to control suddenly snapped and with a muttered oath, he turned over.

Elizabeth heard him mutter something under his breath then felt him move and automatically prepared herself for a rebuff. Instead of a harsh rejection, though, she felt his hand grabbing her shoulder and then she was lying on her back looking up into his taut features.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he told her as his gaze dropped to her mouth.

"I know," she replied as his arm came around her waist to pull her gently to him.

"If you want to change your mind…" he said quietly, offering her the chance to back out but at the same time desperately hoping she wouldn't as he leaned in closer so that their lips almost touched.

Common sense told her that she should grab the chance to hold back with both hands but even that wasn't enough to temper the overpowering need she had for this man. "No. I don't want to change my mind," she whispered, running her hand lightly up his arm.

It was all the assurance he needed before closing the remaining distance between their mouths and pressing his lips to hers in an exploratory caress. Soft and slow, he traced the shape of her mouth, his gentle, almost hesitant touch arousing a dizzying spurt of pleasure and need that affected both of them. His desire to feel more of her had him roll forward until he was half lying on top of her, one leg instinctively moving and coming to rest in-between hers.

"William," she groaned against his mouth as a fresh wave of sensation ran through her at the intimate contact, "I want you."

And then he was kissing her harder, urging her lips apart with his tongue as his hands moved up to cradle her head. His fingers slid into her hair and clutched at the silky strands holding her still, demanding a response that she was more than willing to give.

As their tongues met and duelled, she ran her fingers slowly down his back causing him to tense and groan into her mouth. Breaking away, Elizabeth gasped for air and then gasped again as William began to plant soft kisses along her jaw line to her earlobe, biting down on it gently.

Sensations she never knew coiled through her stomach and swelled the soft curve of her breasts, compelling her to move with instinctive enticement against William's body, silently begging him to remove the final barriers left between them.

"William, please," she pleaded, barely recognising the needy, breathless tone of her own voice. Dimly, she wondered where this side of her personality had been hiding for her entire life. The Elizabeth she knew, certainly wouldn't be begging a stranger to take off her underwear so that she could experience the touch of his hands and mouth on her body in the same way she wanted to explore his.

"Please, what?" William asked as his hand swept her hair back to expose her throat to the hungry assault of his mouth before drifting down to enclose around one full, lace clad breast.

Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath as he squeezed lightly then eagerly arched into his hand so that he repeated the caress more firmly.

"Clothes…off…" she managed to get out through shallow pants of desire and then let out a small whimper at the loss of his touch when he removed his hand from her chest.

"Shhh," he whispered soothingly. "No need to hurry, pet, we've got all night." Trailing a finger up her arm, he hooked it under her bra strap then slowly pulled it down her arm until the breast he'd been caressing was revealed to his avid gaze. "Beautiful," he murmured before dipping his head and running his tongue around the tender nub. Light at first and then firmer until he took her aching nipple into his mouth and began sucking rhythmically.

Elizabeth moaned and arched under his touch. Reaching up, she clasped the back of his head and pulled him closer, trying to force more of her breast into his mouth but he held her still and began flicking his tongue back and forth over her nipple, each stroke sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her core.

Pulling down the other strap, he kissed his way over to her other, newly exposed breast and lavished it with the same attention.

Elizabeth felt like her entire body was on fire as she writhed and groaned beneath him, grinding herself against his leg in a vain attempt to relieve the tension that was building between her thighs.

On reflex, William began to rock back against her as he gave her nipple one last lick before releasing it and moving back up to reclaim Elizabeth's mouth for a searing kiss. Reaching behind her back, he deftly undid her bra, then tossed it aside and broke the kiss off to stare down at her, panting harshly as he stilled.

The snow outside lightened the night and interior of the car sufficiently enough that William could discern Elizabeth's face quite easily. Her tousled hair was fanned out in a kind of halo around her head and her eyes were filled with a hungry passion. Lips, swollen from their kisses, were parted slightly as she tried to control the laboured breathing that had her chest rising and falling at a rapid rate.

"Bloody hell, you're gorgeous," he told her fervently. She smiled in response and his breath hitched slightly, a warm feeling spreading through his limbs at the sight.

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he trailed his hand slowly down over the curves of her body until he reached the soft material of her panties. Easing his leg away, he peeled her underwear down and she brought her legs up in assistance. Once bare, she straightened her legs and he brought his hand back to her belly then moved it down until it came into contact with the silky curls that protected her sex. As he gently started to stroke, he saw her eyes widen and lips draw further apart on a gasp. Enjoying her reaction, he slid his fingers down further and gently cupped her mound before using his forefinger to lightly run along the slick folds of her nether lips.

"God, you're so wet," he groaned, applying more pressure. This time, her reaction was to let out a soft whimper and buck against his hand slightly as her eyes fluttered shut. The movement of her hips was just enough that his probing finger slipped easily inside causing them both to gasp at the new sensation. God she felt incredible…so hot…so tight. She bucked again and William began to move his finger in and out, maintaining a steady rhythm as he leaned down and ran his tongue over her nearest nipple.

"Yes," she urged on a thready moan, bringing her hands up to hold him there. Needing no further encouragement, he opened his mouth and began to suck in time with the pumping motion of his hand.

Elizabeth didn't know what hit her; there were so many sensations all at once. His hot, wet mouth on her breast, the rasp of his beard on her tender skin, his talented finger…no…wait…make that fingers now and…oh God…his thumb. His thumb was doing the most delicious things to her most sensitive spot…rubbing it lightly…and then harder…harder…

Everything was building as she moaned and panted and clutched at him, getting closer and closer, until…"Oh God! William!" Her body stiffened and arched beneath him as her orgasm surged through her at a frightening pace. William placed a chaste kiss on her breast and then one on her lips as he slowed his movements, gently bringing her down until she lay languid in his arms.

"Wow," she breathed, staring at him with dazed eyes and a dreamy smile that made his heart stutter momentarily before resuming its beat at a quicker pace.

William smiled back then leaned back in to give her a soft, lingering kiss as he gently removed his hand from her panties. Elizabeth responded then pulled away and gently pushed back against his chest. William looked down at her with a slight frown but she simply smiled and urged him to lie on his back.

"I want to…" she paused. How did you tell a man that wanted to love him? If there were words, she didn't know them. Deciding that actions spoke louder anyway, she leaned forward and began planting light, barely there kisses on his chest. Under her mouth, his skin felt smooth and cool but hard. Working her way over to his nipple, she flicked her tongue over it as he'd done to her and was delighted to hear the soft groan that he elicited.

Wanting to hear it again, she tongued him more firmly and was rewarded with a louder moan. Bringing her teeth into play, she gently nipped and scraped at his hardened nub and listened with growing confidence to his sharp intake of breath that he let out on a long hiss. After paying his other nipple the same attention, she began kissing her way down his toned abdomen.

Being of smaller stature, she slipped easily under the cover of the sleeping bag and only came to a stop when she reached his engorged cock. Once there, she hesitated for a moment no sure what to do, but the desire to please him as he had her quickly became too strong to resist and she reached out a hand then took him in a firm grip.

William tensed at her first tentative touch and then groaned as the heat of her mouth slowly descended along the length of his manhood. "Christ, Buffy!" he gasped as he pushed his hand into her hair to lightly grasp her head and gently urge her on. "That feels so good, baby."

Elizabeth froze at the sound of her name. Buffy. She'd forgotten about that. Was that why she was acting like this? Because she could pretend she was someone else? Would William have wanted her if she'd been plain old Elizabeth? A rose by any other name…

His gentle urging brought her back to the task at hand…or mouth…and she determinedly swept away the troublesome thoughts. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except giving this man as much pleasure as he'd given her.

William couldn't believe his luck. Buffy was amazing. She was so giving he almost felt as if she were worshipping his body. And she licked and sucked and made all these small noises that left him in no doubt that she was enjoying this as much as he.

Heat began to lap up his body as he felt the familiar tightening that announced the onset of release. "Buffy, luv, you have to stop," he told her harshly as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back up to face him.

"What?" she asked in confusion as he rolled her over onto her back.

"When it happens, I want to be inside you…I want to see your face," he murmured hotly. Urging her legs apart with a gentle hand, he moved and settled himself between her thighs then stilled. "Are you still sure you want this? Me?"

Elizabeth swallowed hard at the look of desire and tenderness on his features and nodded her head as she whispered, "Yes, William, I'm sure."

She never knew what it cost William to ask her that nor how relieved he was at her reply. With a soft smile, he positioned himself at her entrance and then slowly began to ease himself in.

Even though she was ready, Elizabeth still felt the small dart of fear of initial possession and automatically tensed. William immediately stopped and whispered for her to relax. She tried but knew it would be impossible. Her body had never known such an invasion and it needed time to adjust. Time, that a sexually active person wouldn't have needed quite so much of. She knew she should tell him that she was still a virgin but gut feeling told her that William wouldn't continue if he knew…and more than anything in the world right now, she wanted him to continue.

There was only one thing for it.

Moving her hands down his body, she cupped his backside then tilted her head back. "Kiss me," she ordered softly. As their lips met, Elizabeth gripped his ass cheeks firmly and pulled as she simultaneously surged her hips up.

"Bloody hell!" William swore as he tore away from their kiss, breathing hard. He was completely sheathed within her and he'd never known heat like it. "You're so tight," he gasped as he slowly began to move his hips back and forth. "Never felt anything like it…so good, Buffy."

Beneath him, Elizabeth struggled to control her own sharp breaths as the pain of losing her virginity gradually faded away to be replaced by the ever mounting pleasure of his slow movements. Instinctively, she began to move with him, urging him to go faster…deeper…harder…

His head dropped to her neck as his strokes picked up momentum and he continued to tell her just how good she felt surrounding him…how hot and wet she was…how responsive…

"You feel good too," Elizabeth gasped in return. "I never knew it could be like this."

William groaned and began to plunge into her harder, her words inflaming his passion to new heights. Elizabeth moved one hand up his back and tightened her hold, revelling in the feel of his muscles contracting with every thrust of his hips. In the pit of her stomach, she could feel the building sensation begin to unfurl as she strived for completion.

As if knowing exactly what she needed, William changed the angle of his hips slightly so that he hit her sweet spot on every down stroke. Lifting his head from her throat, he began to verbally urge her on; telling her to let go, to let it happen, that he'll be there to catch her fall, that she the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and when she finally came with a shout of his name, he was watching her just like he wanted.

Then, moments later, he reached his own shuddering climax and his call merged with hers as he emptied himself deep inside her welcoming body.

As they came down from their high, Elizabeth wrapped her arms tightly around William's heavily breathing body, relishing the weight of him pinning her down. It had been wonderful…he had been wonderful. She felt as if she should say something, but her body was now as greedy for sleep as it had been for completion. Driving for hours in the snow, lack of food and then all the emotional tension between them had taken its toll and she could feel her eyes drooping even though she valiantly tried to keep awake.

When his breathing was more or less back to normal, William eased back slightly and reluctantly allowed himself to slip out of her before rolling them onto their sides. One look at the woman beside him told him she was asleep and he let out a heavy sigh. Wasn't that the man's thing?

Sliding onto his back, he arranged her against his side and she muttered something in her sleep before snuggling closer. Looking down at her, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Wrapping his arms around Elizabeth, he stared at the ceiling of his vehicle wondering why this unexpected encounter had happened. Why he'd felt this fierce desire and urgent need for a woman he'd never met before and yet…somehow, he felt as if he'd always known her.

His eyes were drawn back to the lovely creature in his arms and he sighed. There would be faint bruises on her skin in the morning where he loved her while he…

He grimaced and shook his head. He had a new life and a new job waiting for him. The last thing he needed right now was some kind of emotional complication. Unfortunately, the last thing he could do after tonight was forget what had happened and pretend that the woman sleeping in his arms didn't exist.

Not now.

Not ever.

END CHAPTER FOUR


	5. Cold Once More

Chapter 5 - Cold Once More

Elizabeth woke up to the sound of voices and the disorientation that came with not immediately recognising your surroundings. Blinking away the last vestiges of sleep, she turned in the sleeping bag and grimaced slightly as she became conscious of the way her body ached. Part of it was due to the fact that she'd slept on the cold, hard floor of a larg all night, but the other part…

Abruptly, the details of the previous night came flooding back and she automatically gripped the protection of sleeping bag more tightly around her.

Oh God. What had she done? And more importantly…why?

Scorching heat stained her skin as a wave of embarrassment crashed through her system. Outside, she heard William say something that was answered by another male voice and cringed. What was he going to say when he saw her? Worse…how was she going to be able to face him?

Last night had been amazing. It had been about heat and comfort…about love…

She shook her head suddenly. No, it wasn't about love, she reminded herself firmly. It was about sex and the fact that she'd casually engaged in a one night stand where her…their need had overcome sense.

Gingerly sitting up, she held the sleeping bag to her chest and looked around for her clothes deciding she needed to be dressed before she had to face him again. Within arms reach she saw her jeans and sweatshirt in neatly folded pile with her bra lying across the top. She knew she hadn't left them like that which brought her to the startling conclusion that William had. A small smile graced her lips at his unexpected thoughtfulness before she frowned at the absence of her panties.

Remembering how she'd help him take them off, she dived under the cover and groped around the bottom of the bag until she found her elusive underwear. Hurriedly dressing, she was just putting her boots back on when a brief knock came on the tailgate before it opened to reveal William.

In the startling snow lit light of day, his appearance was even wilder than the night before and she automatically raised a hand to her own tousled hair and crumpled sweatshirt.

"The snowplough's here and cleared the road," William explained in detached tone. "I've warned the chap about your car further down so, when you're ready, we can go. Is there anywhere in particular you want dropping off?"

Yeah, the nearest cliff, she thought to herself, conscious of the fact that after one brief glance in her direction, William had studiously avoided her gaze. So, he'd had his fun and now he was back to being cold and distant, eh? Well, she may not have had as much experience at meaningless encounters as he obviously had but two could play at that game she told herself bitterly as she fought against the sudden onrush of tears to her eyes.

Turning away from him, she made a show of folding up her rug as she coolly said, "Just leave me at the next town." From there she would call her uncle to come and get her.

"Do you want some coffee?" she heard him offer hesitantly after a short pause.

She closed her eyes trying to blot out the sudden softness of his tone that evoked memories of the night before and tried to swallow past the enormous lump that had formed in her throat as she struggled to get her heaving emotions under control.

She couldn't understand what was happening to her. Last night, in his arms, it'd seemed as if they were two halves of the same perfect whole. But this morning…this morning, she just couldn't comprehend the urges that had driven her into those wonderful arms in the first place. She was so confused…and so out of her depth.

As William stared at her rigid back he wished he knew what to say. Last night she'd been so warm, so eager. Now she was cold and distant, making it plain to him that as far as she was concerned their time together was a forgotten memory.

He sighed. It was just his rotten luck. Here he was wanting nothing more than to reach out and touch her…to tell her how much last night meant to him. And there she was, so withdrawn in on herself that she was nothing more than a shell of the passionate woman he'd had the pleasure of holding only hours before.

Shaking his head he realised that it had been so long since he'd been with a woman that he'd come close to forgetting the rules. He was getting a damn good refresher course right now though.

Annoyance flowed through him at her continued silence and he slammed the tailgate shut, mentally cursing himself for wanting to establish some sort of an emotional bond with a woman who'd obviously had no more than a passing physical interest in him. Hadn't Dru taught him anything for Christ's sake? Hadn't he learned that not all women needed or desired love?

God he was pathetic.

Mouth tightening into a grim line, he saw Buffy clamber into the front passenger seat and walked up to the driver's door, yanking it open. Not looking at her, he slid into the vehicle and was relieved when the motor started at the first turn of the key.

He put the car into drive and pulled off trying to ignore the strained atmosphere that stretched out between them. It was as if they were two enemies forced together and he hated it. Hated it and didn't have clue how right it.

He told himself that, like her, he should just forget their night together, but, for some reason, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling of loss…betrayal almost, at how remote she was now being toward him. At the back of his mind a little voice niggled at him…a little voice that kept insisting that for all her apparent indifference, last night had been special. That he'd been given a precious gift that was for him alone.

Glancing over at Buffy's taut features, William frowned before turning his attention back to the slippery road. He was being ridiculous. She couldn't have been…could she? No. No, definitely not. There hadn't been anything hesitant or shy about the way she'd touched him. Nothing uneducated or uncertain about the caresses that burned a trail of fire across his skin and made him ache so badly.

And yet…

Thinking back to the moment they'd become one, William admitted to himself that he'd been so overcome by lust at her aggressive action that he'd not been able to think of anything else. His body, so consumed by the fire that had enveloped it, had reacted instinctively, unable to hold back its base urge to move hard and fast within her. It had registered that she'd felt tight…very tight…but the need to possess and claim her body as his overrode any further rational thought.

Realising what he was thinking, William suddenly pulled himself up short and almost let out a sharp laugh of self-delusion. Would a woman really give up her virginity to some stranger in the back of his car in the middle of a snowstorm? Not bloody likely. So why the hell was he trying to make more of this than it was? Was it just to make it seem more acceptable to him that he felt a connection between them when she so obviously didn't?

Christ, he really, really was a pathetic git.

Elizabeth sat next to William in silent misery wondering what he was thinking. If the grimace on his face was anything to go by, it wasn't pleasant. Probably hoping she wasn't going to make a scene when they got to the town that was fast approaching. Well, he needn't worry…she wasn't going to say a thing about the previous night. Just as he hadn't…which merely confirmed her suspicions of just how little their encounter actually meant to him.

That didn't mean that a part of her didn't wish that he'd say something though…make a gesture of some kind. But why would he? He'd given her a chance to change her mind and she'd not only said no, she'd backed it up with a forcefulness that made her face flame at the memory. She certainly hadn't acted like a shy virgin so how could she now be angry with him for assuming that casual sex was a part of her life?

They'd reached the outskirts of the town now and as William negotiated the roads to its centre, Elizabeth faced the prospect of never seeing him again. It was what she wanted, she told herself firmly…so why did those stupid tears insist on blurring her vision again?

Blinking rapidly, she couldn't help but ponder the irony of her current situation. That morning she'd felt like she'd die if she had to see him again and now…now she felt like she'd die if she didn't.

"You want dropping off here?" William suddenly asked brusquely, cutting across her unhappy thoughts.

She looked out the window to the space he'd indicated to outside a small Post Office and nodded, her throat tight with pain as she tried to suppress her urge to break down.

The roughness in William's voice, which disguised his reluctance to let her go, she misinterpreted as impatience to be rid of her and when he pulled to a stop she had the door open and was halfway out before he could anything to stop her.

If she hadn't had to wait for him to hand over her stuff, she would have walked off without even saying goodbye.

As she took the proffered rug from his hand, their fingers brushed sending a shock of awareness through William's system that had him hardening painfully at the remembered passion they'd shared. He desperately wanted to say something…reassure her that if there were any repercussions…but a woman who made love so skilfully and eagerly wouldn't take risks. Just as well when it hadn't even entered his mind in the heat of the moment. His arms ached to hold her to him one more time but the fear of rejection held him immobile and silent, simply watching her while she awkwardly rearranged her possessions more comfortably in her arms.

He had her name and knew the make of car. He could always trace her…although the way she was acting he wasn't sure that would be wise. Heartache lay down that road, he was certain of it. And all of it would be his. Better he just let her go and keep the good memories no matter how much he wanted there to be more between them.

As Elizabeth turned and walked away from William, she wondered how her legs were actually supporting her. The brief meeting of their hands had been like a lightning bolt of sensation through her and her fingers still tingled from the contact. Resisting the urge to turn back for one last look at the man who'd been her first lover, she told herself to forget him and forget last night. It was over…finished…and she'd never see him again.

William forced himself to turn and get back into his car then started the engine. Hands tightening around the steering wheel, he cast one last longing look at Elizabeth's retreating figure then pulled out with a screech of tyres.

'Keep going, mate, just keep going,' he told himself as he passed her and headed out of the town towards the small rural bed and breakfast he'd pre-booked for the night. Twenty minutes later, he pulled into a farmhouse's drive and smiled as the door flew open to reveal the delighted countenance of a slightly plump, fair-haired lady of around fifty years.

"William, my dear! It's so good to see you again," she gushed, coming forward with her arms open wide.

Pushing his jumbled feelings aside for the moment, William got out of his vehicle with a huge grin and engulfed the woman in a bear hug. "Hello Grace, it's good to see you too," he told her affectionately as he pulled back to look down at her kindly face. "Still looking as young and beautiful as ever," he added charmingly.

"Oh you!" she chuckled slapping him playfully on his chest as she stepped back from his embrace and absently patted her neat bun with her right hand.

"'Ere now, you're not trying to sweet talk my woman are you, young fella?" a gravelly voice suddenly demanded from the side.

"Course I am," William replied light-heartedly as he turned to face Grace's husband.

The older man's stern face broke out into a grin and he stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Don't blame you, son. She's right fine woman. I'd be offended if you didn't."

William grasped his friend's hand and drew the man into a brief hug before stepping back, his face clearly showing his joy. Jack Weston was a distinguished looking man in his early sixties who'd been good friends with his father. The families had been neighbours until the Weston's decided to move down south and open up a B & B.

Although money wasn't a problem, Grace enjoyed looking after people and had always wanted to run a cosy little guesthouse and Jack, never one to deny his wife anything, had happily agreed. The rural life suited them and William visited whenever he could, enjoying the easy company of the elder couple. "It's good to see you, Jack. How have you been?"

"Good, good," the elderly man replied, patting William firmly on the back. "Knees giving me a bit of gip, but other than that, can't complain. How about you, Will? Got yourself a young lady yet or do I seriously have to worry that you're after my woman after all?"

William's smile faltered slightly as memories of Buffy's passion filled face entered his mind but then he pushed them back and shook his head. "You always have to worry, Jack," he commented with a chuckle as he put his arm around Grace and gave her a gentle squeeze.

The couple laughed with him and then he released Grace and went around to the back of his car and opened the tailgate. "So, where's the Rascal?" he asked as he dragged out his backpack.

"He's taking Maggie out for a walk," Jack replied in amusement just as the sound of excited barking filled the air. "Looks like he's brought her back safe and sound too."

Seconds later a large black German Shepherd dog came bounding down the drive followed by a young dark-haired woman walking hurriedly behind. "William!" she called out with a huge grin and a wave just as the dog jumped up at him and began licking his chin.

"Ugh! Good to see you too, Rascal," William laughed as he gave the happy dog a fuss. Looking up at the woman who had now joined them, he added, "You too, Mags. How are Josh and the boys?"

"They're good. I'm bringing them over for dinner later," Maggie replied, giving him a hug as Rascal dropped back down onto four paws.

"It'll be good to see them again," he said then let out startled exclamation as Rascal jumped into the back of his car and grabbed the sleeping bag. "Hey, you leave that alone, you devil!"

Ignoring William, Rascal jumped back out onto the drive dragging the quilted material triumphantly behind him. William automatically reached out and grabbed a corner causing the zip to undo all the way down thus revealing the bright orange inner.

Maggie quickly took Rascal by the collar and got him to release the bag then handed him over to Jack to take inside.

"I'll put the kettle on," Grace informed them as she followed her husband in.

Maggie nodded then turned back to help William gather up the sleeping bag. "Oh! There's some blood on here. Did you cut yourself or something?" she asked in concern, holding up the orange fabric for him to see.

William's head snapped up at her enquiry and he snatched the fabric from her hand to get a closer look. All colour drained from his face as the enormity of what the dried mark meant hit him with full force. His gut instinct had been right after all. Buffy had given him a precious gift and what had he done? Just left her all alone in a strange town without a second glance. "Oh, bloody, fucking, hell!" he cursed suddenly. "Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks!"

"What?" Maggie queried in confusion. "Don't worry, it'll come out. No need to get so worked up over it."

William looked up at her blankly for a second and then shook his head. "I've got to go back into town for a while, Mags. Tell your mum I'll have that tea when I get back, okay?"

Without waiting for a reply, William threw the sleeping bag into the back, slammed the door shut then jumped into the drivers seat and started her up. With a quick wave in Maggie's direction, William rapidly backed down the drive and out into the road then gunned the engine. He had to find Buffy before she left town.

xxxxxxxxx

Elizabeth stood by the kerb patiently waiting for Rupert to arrive. After William had sped away, further confirming that he couldn't wait to be rid of her, she'd used the nearby telephone box and immediately called her uncle. Naturally, he'd been concerned for her welfare overnight and was relieved to hear her telling him she was safe. He promised he wouldn't be long but she knew it'd take a good forty minutes to get there, especially in the current conditions.

Seeing a cafe across the road, she'd gone over and had a hot cup of tea and some toast. Although she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday teatime, she found that she wasn't really hungry. Maybe sex did that to you…or maybe it was watching the man who'd taken your virginity drive away and knowing that you'd never see him again that made the thought of food turn your stomach inside out.

Yeah…that was it.

Once she'd eaten and tried not to think about William anymore, she'd paid up then gone back across the road and kept an eagle eye out for her uncle's ancient Citroen.

Giles arrived about ten minutes after she'd left the café and Elizabeth didn't think she'd ever seen a more welcome sight. He pulled up then got out and pulled her in for a brief hug before picking up her things and putting them in the boot.

Once Elizabeth was sitting in the passenger seat, she allowed herself to relax and gazed blankly out of the window. Last night had been the most wonderful night of her entire life and she'd never forget a moment of it…never forget him. And now she was going home; back to being boring old Elizabeth who wanted nothing more than to marry a nice, loving man and settle down. Trouble was, the faceless man of her dreams now had light brown hair, a scraggy beard and the most amazing blue eyes she'd ever seen.

Shame then, that the guy couldn't get away from her quick enough. Life could really screw you over at times.

xxxxxxxx

By the time William had arrived back in town, he'd called himself every kind of name and then some. What if he'd hurt her? His stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought. He'd hardly been tender had he? Shaking his head, he wondered how he could have been so blind. Looking back, all the signs were there. Sure, her touch hadn't given her away but her body had…and so had her words. That's why she'd been so forceful, he now realised, and why she'd been so distant this morning. Whereas before he'd taken her attitude as being withdrawn, he could now see that a woman who'd been a virgin wouldn't have had any idea how to act in that kind of situation…hence the apparent aloofness. She'd probably been petrified.

And he…he, God help him, had been an over-sensitive ass, ignoring her when he should have been insisting that they talk…not to mention kissing her stupid like he wanted to. Then, of course, there was the subject of protection. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that Buffy wouldn't have been taking anything, so what if she now got pregnant?

He had to admit that the thought of them possibly making a baby from such a perfect night together wasn't unappealing at all. In fact, it gave him kind of a warm buzz just thinking about it.

He shook his head. No good thinking about that yet. First things, first. Find Buffy then talk to her and tell her how you really feel about last night.

The Post Office appeared up ahead and William found himself a space nearby. Getting out, he turned in a circle avidly searching for any signs of the petite blonde. When it became apparent that she wasn't anywhere nearby, he set off to check around the town.

Half an hour later, it became evident that wherever Buffy was, it wasn't in the town. The local garage didn't know anything about her car and no-one he spoke too remembered having seen her. It was as though she'd disappeared into thin air.

Returning to his vehicle, William let out a cry of frustration then smacked his hand down on the bonnet, startling a couple who were walking by. Offering a mumbled apology, he got in his car and sat there for a few moments, gathering his scattered wits back together.

He'd lost her for now but this wasn't the end. He'd find Buffy again if it was the last thing he ever did and, when he did, he'd make damn sure he wouldn't let his foolish fears and stubborn pride get in the way ever again.

END CHAPTER FIVE


	6. Unexpected Surprise

CHAPTER 6 - Unexpected Surprise

"Ah, Elizabeth, there you are, I've been looking for you," Rupert Giles said as he entered the kitchen where she was having a cup of tea.

"What's up?" she queried lightly.

The older man gave his niece a contrite smile and took off his wire-rimmed glasses. Pulling out a spotlessly clean handkerchief from the inside pocket of his tweed suite, he then vigorously began to polish the already unmarked lenses. "Elizabeth, I have to apologise," he said in a regretful tone. "It completely slipped my mind that I shall be bringing a colleague home with me today. He's going to be taking over the English Literature chair at Cambridge on a six-month trial. I said that he could stay with us for a while…until he found his feet, as it were." Giles put his glasses back on then pocketed his hanky and offered another small smile. "I had every intention of telling you before now but he rang while you were visiting your parents a few weeks ago and it just went entirely out of my head."

Elizabeth sighed. Rupert Giles had a notoriously bad memory when it came to the day to day living of life in general. Ask him about the Salem Witch Trials or the Tolpuddle Martyrs and he'd talk for hours recalling every minute detail he'd ever read but remembering where he'd parked his car? Forget it. Having one of his friends over wasn't an unusual occurrence and the house was more than big enough to accommodate him but a little bit more warning would still have been nice.

Mentally reviewing the kitchen cupboards and fridge, she realised that they were low on food and would need to go to the supermarket.

"That's okay. I have to go shopping anyway," she replied absently as she checked her watch. She needed to get going if she was to get back and sort out a bedroom and make a start on dinner.

"Excellent," Giles commented in relief and turned to go only to be stopped by Elizabeth's stern voice.

"Don't forget that Liam Connell is coming tomorrow afternoon," she reminded him.

"Who?" asked Giles turning around to look at her with a baffled expression.

"Liam Connell," Elizabeth repeated patiently. "Your publisher, remember?"

"Ah, yes…yes, of course," the older man said with sudden recollection. "I'll make a note of it in my diary when I get to the university. Goodbye Elizabeth, I'll see you later."

"Bye," she called after him then quickly finished her drink and went to the phone to call her best friend, Willow Rosenburg.

Willow was the daughter of an American tutor at Cambridge. They'd met when her uncle had invited the family over for dinner and she'd liked the petite, shy girl immediately.

Bonding over a couple of bottles of wine one evening, Elizabeth had told her horrified friend about Parker and, in turn, learned that Willow had had a crush on her childhood friend, Xander, for years. A crush that had grown into adult love on her side…but not his.

Around the same time that her father had secured his position in England, she approached Xander to tell him of her feelings. His response had been a gentle, but firm, rebuff to the heartbroken girl and, in her misery, she'd jumped at the chance to move abroad with her parents seeing it as a fresh start after years of pining for a boy who would only ever see her as nothing more than a friend.

It proved to be the best thing she'd ever done. A year after Willow had settled in England, she'd met a young man called Daniel Osbourne. Daniel, or Oz as he preferred to be known, had been backpacking around the world using the time to decide what he wanted to do with his life before heading back to America.

As soon as he'd seen Willow though, everything had changed. Smitten from the very first, he'd pursued the redhead with a relentlessness that belied his outwardly laid back demeanour.

They'd been together three years now and Elizabeth suspected that it wouldn't be much longer before her friend was telling her that they were getting engaged.

After Willow agreed to go with her, Elizabeth grabbed her coat and purse and hurried out to her car.

In the south, it was already beginning to feel like Spring, the mild weather a stark contrast to the snow laden roads of only five weeks earlier.

Five weeks.

Five weeks since she'd visited her parents.

Five weeks since William and that night.

Sitting in the drivers seat, Elizabeth felt the usual shakiness invading her limbs that accompanied any thoughts about William and determinedly forced back the memories. Memories that since that night hadn't diminished in the slightest. Every night she dreamt of him…touching her…kissing her…loving her…

At first she'd thought that maybe it was all still so clear because she was concerned about any repercussions; but, three weeks after she'd got back home, her body had provided irrefutable proof that her momentary insanity hadn't resulted in creating a child.

Although she was grateful of the fact, it didn't stop the surge of disappointment and loss that swept through her at the knowledge that, physically, she wouldn't have something to remind her of the night she'd shared with William.

Not that she was equipped to bring up a child alone…she didn't have the inner strength, the fortitude…and yet…

To have loved William so intensely and to have him love her the same way in return that that loving had created a new life…

Elizabeth shook her head suddenly and tutted in impatience at her romanticism. Truth was, she behaved like an irresponsible idiot and she was extremely lucky that she hadn't become pregnant as a result.

Turning the key, she started her car and began to drive. She still had no idea why she'd acted the way she had but the initial shock and shame she'd experienced the morning after had gone. In its place was an odd guilty awareness that it was the pleasure of those hours she remembered most and not the sick feeling of self-disgust that followed them.

In fact, at times, she wondered if she'd conjured the whole night up. If so, she had a better imagination than she realised. And yet, to have acted so wildly out of character, the only possible answer was to conclude that it had all been a wonderful dream.

Turning a corner, Willow's house appeared and Elizabeth took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. She'd not told her friend what happened, preferring to keep the precious memories to herself. Besides, how could she expect her friend to understand what she'd done, when she hadn't got a clue herself?

She was about to turn off the engine when the front door opened and her redheaded friend came out giving her a wave and cheery grin. Elizabeth smiled and waved back, watching the young woman lock the door behind her then jog down the path to the car.

"Hey," Willow greeted as she opened the door and got in. Fastening her seatbelt, she said, "So, Giles sprung another unexpected guest on you, did he?"

"Yep," the blonde replied on a sigh. "One day I'd like to get a little more than a two minute warning, you know?"

Willow chuckled and nodded. "So where we off to first?"

"The supermarket and then the dry cleaners. I have to pick up a couple of blouses."

"Okay," the redhead replied, settling back comfortably in her seat.

Chatting non-stop, the two women reached the supermarket and made short work of the grocery shopping. Once Elizabeth had retrieved her freshly cleaned tops, they then went into a local tearoom and had some lunch then drove back to Giles' house.

While they put the food away, Elizabeth glanced out of the window and frowned at the wild state of the large garden. She really needed to do something about that. Definitely had to be weeded and then maybe plant some perennials that she could watch come back and multiply year after year.

Letting out a sigh, she realised that if her family knew the train of her thoughts, they'd be horrified. Stay in one place for years on end? Unthinkable! For them there was no pleasure to be garnered from running a home and all the permanency that came with it. In fact, it was so foreign a notion to them, that for years Elizabeth tried to deny the feelings in herself. As she'd got older, however, she'd learned to accept the part of her nature that demanded the feeling of stability and embraced it whole-heartedly.

Problem was, these days women were expected to have wonderful careers, bring up a family and still look glamorous and worldly. Having it all, they called it. Didn't people realise that it was virtually impossible for anyone, no matter how highly motivated, to reach such an amazing standard of perfection? That many women, when faced with the hopelessness of reaching said heights, found it only emphasised their own inadequacies?

Women were good at feeling guilty…Elizabeth knew that only too well…they really didn't need to have any extra burdens weighing them down; like spending the night in the arms of a complete stranger and handing your virginity over with no more than a whimper.

"You okay?" came Willow's concerned voice, jolting Elizabeth out of her musings.

Realising she was still staring out of the window, she turned to her friend and gave her a smile. "I'm fine," she said brightly. "Just phased out there for a minute."

Willow gave her a small smile back and said hesitantly, "You know, you've been a little be spacey ever since you came back from your parents house. Did something happen while you were up there?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened fractionally and then she brushed passed her friend and grabbed a shopping bag, beginning to empty it. "No," she said, keeping her gaze locked firmly on her task. "Nothing happened. I told you, I'm fine."

Willow frowned, knowing she was lying. Placing a hand on Elizabeth's arm, she stayed her friend's movements and told her, "If you ever need to talk, you know I'm here, right?"

Elizabeth looked up into the redhead's caring eyes and felt her restraint weaken for a moment. Part of her longed to talk about William and the wonderful night they shared but another, harder part of her that despised herself for what she did, couldn't free the words.

"I know, Willow," she replied quietly. "Thanks."

The redhead smiled slightly and nodded. Removing her hand, she walked over to the fridge and finished off putting the food away. For a moment there, she had been certain that Elizabeth would tell her what was bothering her but then she'd stopped herself.

She sighed lightly. Maybe it was the fact that Dawn had got engaged. Seeing your younger sister obtaining everything you'd ever dreamed of had to be heartbreaking. Which was precisely why she had yet to tell her friend of her own engagement. No need to make her feel worse.

Elizabeth gathered up the plastic bags then placed them in a cupboard under the sink in order to use them another day. Willow's tentative observation about her acting vague had been a shock. She'd thought she'd managed to keep a majority her musing time to when she was alone but obviously she hadn't.

Suddenly, she mentally pulled herself up short and asked herself what the hell she was doing. She'd literally pined for the guy for five weeks. Five weeks! Would he be doing the same? No! She'd be willing to bet he'd not even given her a passing thought.

God, what was she doing to herself?

'Face it,' she told herself cruelly. 'What happened meant nothing to him. It was just a brief sexual fling. You could've been anyone.'

Ignoring the lurch of her stomach at that last thought, she turned to her friend determinedly pushing all thoughts of William out of her mind. For good.

With a new sense of purpose, she told Willow she was going upstairs to make up a bed for Giles' friend. The redhead went with her and after they were done, they went back to the kitchen and sat down for a cup of tea and a chat before starting dinner.

They'd only been sat a couple of minutes when the chugging sound of a diesel engine reached their ears announcing the arrival of Giles and his friend.

"They're early," Elizabeth commented with a glance at her watch.

"I'll start peeling some veg for you, then I've got to go and meet Oz," Willow offered as Elizabeth got up.

"Are you sure you've got time?" the blonde queried not wanting to make her friend late.

"Yeah, don't worry."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said gratefully. "I'll just go and say, 'Hi' and see if they want a drink and then I'll be right back."

She left the kitchen and reached the hallway just as the front door opened and Rupert walked in laughing at something that his colleague must have said.

"Very true, very true," Giles commented with a chuckle as he stood aside for his friend to enter. "But however they look, you can't deny that Citroens do give such a comfortable ride."

"Personally they give me sea sickness; all that rolling about."

Elizabeth froze in shock as the voice that replied sent a tremor of recognition through her entire body. Male, vibrant and achingly familiar, she found herself overwhelmed by feelings of disbelief, fear and not a little anger. 'This couldn't be happening,' her mind screamed out in silent protest at who she knew was going to walk through that doorway any second now.

But it was. And there wasn't a single thing she could do to stop it.

It was William.

END CHAPTER SIX


	7. A Tangled Web

CHAPTER 7 - A Tangled Web

Elizabeth's head whirled as she fought back a wave of nausea at the fact that William was just about to walk through her uncle's front door. Willing her limbs to move, she backed up a couple of paces until her back hit the wall. Taking a deep calming breath, she watched Giles hold the door open allowing William to enter and felt her heart kick up into high gear.

Seconds later, there he was…her scruffy angel. Except, he wasn't scruffy anymore. Not at all. In fact, the only reminder of their night together was the leather duster he wore. Everything else had changed.

As he put his cases down, Elizabeth ran her eyes over his form and swallowed hard. Gone was the beard to reveal a strong jaw line, the full bottom lip and the highest, most defined, pair of cheekbones she'd ever seen in her entire life. The overlong, curly hair had been cut and slicked tidily back with no evidence of the bleach she knew he once had in sight. The jeans and sweater were replaced by black trousers and a button down shirt in a shade of blue that, she was certain, would perfectly match the colour of his eyes if she could bring herself to actually meet his gaze. Completing his new smart look was a pair of black leather slip-on's that now adorned his feet instead of the scuffed boots she remembered.

"You must come and meet my niece," Giles said, bringing Elizabeth snapping to attention.

Belatedly, she realised she should have made a dash for the relative safety of the kitchen before both men realised she was there…but now it was too late.

As her uncle turned towards the kitchen, his face lit up into a smile upon spying her and she forced herself to move forward, silently sending up a prayer that William wouldn't remember her. Unfortunately, God wasn't listening as she saw the way his eyes…and yes, they really did perfectly match his shirt as she'd thought…widened slightly in recognition and then narrowed as he focussed on her more intensely.

"Elizabeth, this is William Saunders. He's my colleague who shall be staying with us for a while," Giles introduced before looking at William. "William, this is my niece, Elizabeth Summers."

William was faster to recover than she'd been and extended his hand courteously. He could hardly believe his eyes. After weeks of dreaming and thinking of Buffy constantly, here she was standing right slap bang in front of him. In the flesh. But apparently, not in name…

Hesitantly, Elizabeth took his proffered grasp and immediately became conscious of the slightly rough texture of his hand. A hand that had touched her skin and brought it to dizzying heights of highly sensitised desire.

"Elizabeth…"

The hard, deliberate way he said her name destroyed her efforts at self-control and she couldn't help the hot, guilty rush of colour that stained her skin. Unable to speak, she tried to smile instead, but her weak effort fell far short of the ease of his nonchalant demeanour. 'Probably because he's had more practice at this,' Elizabeth thought to herself bitterly.

"Elizabeth, would you mind showing William to his room for me please?" her uncle requested, apparently unaware of the underlying tension between the two. "I have a rather urgent telephone call to make."

Realising there was no way to escape, Elizabeth nodded mutely, her gaze darting to William who was still staring back at her intently. Feeling the warmth rush to her cheeks once more, she looked away and headed towards the staircase.

Inwardly, Elizabeth struggled to stay calm. This confrontation with William was so unexpected, so unwanted that it was only bringing home to her, if it needed reinforcing, the whole sordidness of their encounter. Mentally rearing it's ugly head, self-disgust forced her to forget that in his arms she'd felt neither guilt nor any loss of self-respect - instead it had been the reverse. She'd felt cherished, loved, desired, wanted…

Climbing the stairs, her fingers tightened around the banister rail as she felt the heat of William's body close behind. Too close. Everything in her screamed at her to take to her heels and run, but William proved too fast. As soon as the sound of Giles' study door closing reached her ears, she felt William's fingers closing around her wrist, forcing her to stand still.

Determined not to be intimidated, she slowly turned then pointedly looked down at her hand and up to his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, trying to inject as much coolness into her tone as she muster.

Taken aback at the iciness of her tone, William felt the first stirrings of irritation. "Is something wrong?" he repeated in disbelief. "Do you even need to ask? My colleague introduces me to his niece, Elizabeth Summers and, bugger me, if I don't already happen to know her by a completely different name! Care to enlighten me a little here, luv?"

"Buffy is a pet name my family use," Elizabeth told him stiffly, the casual endearment he'd uttered simultaneously annoying and thrilling her.

"And very convenient in case I tried to follow up on our…" he paused to let his gaze wander slowly down to her chest and up again, "…acquaintance."

Elizabeth's lips compressed into a hard line, his insolent gaze and insinuating words affecting her far more than she would have liked. She knew damn well that there was scant chance he would've bothered to look for her, but she wasn't about to tell him why she lied. Why, just for once, she'd wanted to be someone other than herself.

"You can think what you like," she told him brusquely. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No, you don't," he agreed, watching her now with an intensity that suffused her body in scorching heat. "Although it would be nice to know, except…you didn't want me to find you, did you?" William realised suddenly, the fact that she'd not given him her proper name, even on the morning after, not lost on him.

Feeling like he'd punched in the gut, he thought back over the useless hunt he'd embarked on during the past few weeks and felt the first glimmerings of uncertainty begin to unfurl. Up until that moment, he'd been certain that what had happened between them was very special. Not only that she'd given him her virginity, but also that they'd shared a connection few couples of long standing ever manage to attain. He'd felt it, so she must have too…right?

Elizabeth's next words provided his answer.

"I can't think of any reason why either of us would want to see each other again," she remarked stiffly, baffled as to why he kept pursuing that train of thought. Surely he wanted to forget the whole night as much as she did?

William felt his stomach drop and was about to release her wrist when a sudden wave of defiant anger rolled over him. "Can't you?" he retorted curtly, his raised eyebrow adding emphasis as he leaned in to her slightly. Mentally she may be refusing to acknowledge how amazing that night was, but physically she wouldn't be able to hide it and he was determined to prove it.

The unexpected move, coupled with the sudden leap of flame that ignited in his eyes made her stomach twist sharply. Heat suddenly flooded through her…a heat that had nothing to do with guilt or the burning self-revulsion she'd felt earlier. No…this heat had its roots in the delicious ache that was rapidly and treacherously infiltrating her system.

It took every piece of her willpower not to lean into him and taste those wonderful lips just one more time. Feel what it'd be like to kiss him without the coarseness of his beard rasping over her skin. Instead, she forced herself to concentrate on replying to his question. "If you're talking about the possibility of a baby…" she managed to get out in a shaky voice.

"I wasn't," William denied then tilted his head to the side and looked down her body appraisingly. "But I take it you're not pregnant?"

"No," she hastily confirmed, not registering the faint look of disappointment that William sported at her answer as her mind worked overtime at trying to figure out what else he could have meant. "Oh!" she exclaimed as the reason why he might have wanted to see her again suddenly became crystal clear and she stared back at him defiantly.

Sex.

He wanted to start up an affair where they both indulged their sexual needs with no emotional attachment or commitment of any kind on either side. Especially his.

God, just what kind of a woman did he think she was? Her righteous indignation disintegrated at that moment and she looked down, suddenly ashamed, as it hit her exactly what type of woman he thought she was…and with good reason.

Wondering what she'd thought of, William watched the play of emotions cross Elizabeth's face with interest and felt his heart squeeze at the pain he glimpsed in her eyes before she looked away. He knew he wasn't handling the situation very well as he was still reeling from the shock of seeing her again, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

He was just trying to understand what the hell was going on, but she was being as distant now as she had been then. Was there something he was missing? Had he been so certain that her actions were because she was an innocent that he failed to acknowledge any other reason for her behaviour? Obviously so if her desire to remain anonymous was anything to go by.

His thoughts were broken off when the ring of the phone was heard followed a few seconds later by Giles opening his door. "Elizabeth, it's Connor for you, long distance," he called out before going back in.

Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. What on earth was her sister's fiancé ringing her for? Had there been an accident? Had something happened to Dawn? As she started to go down the stairs, William's grip on her wrist tightened and she looked up into his cold features.

"Who the bloody hell is Connor?" he ground out, unsuccessfully trying to keep his sudden flare of jealousy at bay.

Elizabeth blinked at his harsh tone and it hit her then that all her problems could be solved with just one more lie. One teeny, tiny falsehood that would ensure that William didn't attempt to try and pick up were they left off.

"Connor's my fiancé," she told him, unaware of the desperation colouring her tone. "He's my fiancé and I have to go and talk to him right now."

William's mouth dropped open in shock and this time when she started down the stairs, he let her go. Numbly, he watched her stumble on the last step and then almost run into her uncle's study.

She was engaged? The woman he'd spent almost all of his waking moments thinking about was going to marry another man? This couldn't be happening. Surely providence couldn't be so cruel as to let him find her only to laugh in his face and snatch her away from his grasp once again…could it?

Apparently, it could. And had. And it hurt like hell.

xxxxxxxxxx

Giles sat down at his desk while Elizabeth picked up phone to speak to her future brother-in-law. "Hi Connor it's Elizabeth, is anything wrong?"

"Hey Buffy, no, nothing's wrong. I've just spoken with your uncle and he's agreeable but thought that I should ask you too," the young man said.

Grimacing at the use of her childhood name, Elizabeth prompted, "Ask me what?"

"Well, my folks are coming over for a visit in a couple of months and they want to spend time in and around London. I've asked Mr. Giles if they could possibly stay with you for a few days and he said yes as long as you're okay with it because it would mean extra work for you." He gave her a nervous chuckle. "I mean, feel free to say no if it's going to be too much trouble."

Trouble? Elizabeth almost laughed out loud herself. No, it was no trouble. Trouble was the man she'd left standing on the stairs. Trouble was blue eyes staring at you in a mixture of shock and anger as they tried to assimilate the most awful lie you'd ever told in your entire life.

"No," she heard herself say. "It won't be any trouble. Just let me have the dates and I'll get everything ready."

They spent another couple of minutes exchanging information and pleasantries; Dawn was apparently out shopping with her future mother-in-law and then, conscious of the cost of the international call and that William was still waiting she said her goodbyes.

She told Giles the dates, knowing full well the man would forget and he, in turn, asked that Elizabeth tell William that once he'd settled in he was welcome to join him in the lounge so they could have a small drink before dinner.

Elizabeth nodded then left the study and paused as she pulled the door shut behind her. Taking a deep steadying breath, she noticed that William still stood in the exact same spot where she'd left him and walked slowly over. "Sorry about that," manners compelled her to mumble as she climbed the stairs to where he was waiting.

"Sod that," he growled tersely. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were engaged?"

"You never asked," she retorted, walking past him and continuing up. An unexpectedly grim silence followed her statement and Elizabeth knew he was trying to contain his anger.

"I see," he finally said as he began trailing after her. "So…where is he?"

"He had to go back to America," she replied, glad that he couldn't see her face as she made up the blatant untruths. "We're childhood sweethearts and he visits as often as he can." She stopped talking and grimaced, wondering if it sounded as pathetic to him as it did to her own ears.

"And I suppose it's because he wasn't available that you made love with me instead, is that it?" William asked in a deceptively mild tone.

They were outside his room now and Elizabeth stopped, wishing she could find a way to end this awful ordeal. Keeping her face averted, she tried to give a nonchalant shrug but it ended up looking nothing more than awkward. "I…I suppose I was just missing him so much that…well…you were there…you know…convenient…"

"Convenient?!" William hissed furiously, the fragile control he'd attained snapping in two. "That's all I was? Convenient? "

"I…I…" Elizabeth stuttered, taking an involuntary step back in the face of his wrath.

"No, just let me get this straight," William said, raising his hand in a gesture to stop her talking. "You had an itch you needed attending to and because your honey was across the pond, you decided to use me as the scratching post instead…that about it?"

When he put it like that, she could see how insulting her thoughtless words must have appeared to him but there was no going back now. "Yes…that's right," she agreed, forcing out a strained laugh.

William's eyes narrowed at her answer and he felt his anger drain away to be replaced by the sound of alarm bells going off in his brain. Something wasn't right here. Whatever that night was, it wasn't purely about sexual gratification…he was certain of that, if nothing else in this confusing mess. So why would she agree that it was?

Deciding to try a different tact, William produced a semblance of a smile and took a step towards her, ignoring the dart of hurt that shot through him when she instinctively stepped back a pace as well. "Well, I'm glad I was there to help you out, luv," he said, deliberately lowering his voice to a seductive drawl. "Tell me, was I a good substitute for your one true love? I'd hate to have not come up to…scratch."

Elizabeth was caught off balance by his sudden turnaround of moods and blinked at him in confusion. Did he really want an answer to that question? By the expectant look on his face…yes, he did!

"Uh…yeah…you were…it was…great," she spluttered out, looking away as she felt the colour rise betrayingly in her cheeks again. There was an odd quality to his silence that unnerved her but she refused to look up to find out why. Deciding that now was the best time to escape, she went to move past him but found herself brought to a halt as William reached out and grabbed her arm. Automatically, she looked up and found herself mere inches from his face.

"Tell me something," he enquired softly. "Is there any chance that you'll be missing your fiancé while I'm staying here? Because if there is…" He broke off and gave her a smirk, rolling his tongue up behind his teeth and leaving her in doubt of what he was proposing.

This is what she'd been dreading. What she'd desperately tried to protect herself against ever since the moment he'd entered her uncle's house. And it was far worse than anything she'd ever envisioned. The humiliation and hurt poured through her like burning acid. Going white with shock and pain, Elizabeth wrenched her arm from his grasp and glared at him in anger.

"No!" she gasped wretchedly. "What took place that night, took place…but I want you to know that I won't let it happen again, William. You might make a habit of indulging in one night stand's, but I don't!"

"Because you're in love with your fiancé," he commented impassively, seemingly not all fazed by her outburst.

The mention of her bogus fiancé threw her for a moment, but then, as she remembered, she quickly said, "Yes…No…I mean, I wouldn't have casual sex even if I weren't engaged…" She stopped and bit her bottom worriedly before closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh. Suddenly, she felt completely drained. Opening her eyes, she resolutely met his gaze. "Look, I can't explain why that night happened. I…" she paused then shook her head and gave him a helpless shrug of her shoulders silently pleading with him to help her out.

"You were missing your fiancé, you were lonely…confused…" William offered in a soft, almost reassuring tone. He drew in a breath and gave her a small smile. "So, tell me about him. What does he look like?"

Elizabeth frowned slightly. What did Connor look like? "Um…well…he's really tall…dark brown hair…" she began to stammer awkwardly.

William heaved an internal sigh of relief as she spoke. At least it didn't sound as if he looked anything like the absent twit. "You'll have to show me a photograph," he interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore about the other man.

"A photograph?" Elizabeth repeated weakly.

William shrugged, feeling a sudden urge for a smoke. Pity he was trying to give up. "So I can recognise him if I happen to meet him."

"No…no, you won't," Elizabeth hastily assured him only to tense when he suddenly released her arm to take hold of her left hand.

Raising it up between them, he stared at her fingers then lifted his curious gaze to hers. "You don't wear his ring," he observed quietly.

Tugging her hand from his grasp, Elizabeth's face began to redden as her eyes darted away from his. Oh God! A ring! This was a nightmare! Think, think, think!

"Well, there hasn't been time," she heard herself say. "We only told my parents a little while ago then Connor had to go home and tell his parents. No one else knows…not even Uncle Rupert," she quickly added as an afterthought, not wanting to consider the mess she'd be in if the older man got involved.

"So, he's gone home to tell his parents…without you?" William clarified dubiously. The more she was saying about her fiancé, the more he didn't like the man one bit.

Elizabeth fought the urge to groan aloud as she felt the mother of all headaches begin to pound. Why did he keep asking all these questions, pushing her, forcing her to tell more and more lies?

"I have to be here for Uncle Rupert's book, so I really couldn't go," she excused feebly. Taking another step back, she gestured towards the stairs. "I really have to go and make a start on dinner. Uncle Rupert said you can join him in the lounge for a drink when you're ready."

William tutted and shook his head making her falter and look back over her shoulder at him. "Such reluctance to talk about the man you love," he goaded softly. "Newly engaged too. Most women wouldn't be able to contain themselves."

Elizabeth drew herself up and graced him with a cold look, the distance between them making her feel suddenly bold. "I'm not most women," she retorted curtly then hurried away down the stairs before he could say anything more.

"No," William agreed under his breath as he watched her walk away. "You definitely aren't."

Once Elizabeth was out of sight, he entered his room, took off his duster and flopped down backwards onto the bed. Rubbing his hands over his face, he then let his arms splay out to the sides and stared up at the cream coloured ceiling.

What the hell was he going to do?

Sighing, he shook his head, trying to sort out the jumbled complexity of his thoughts and feelings. He knew he was in serious danger of falling completely in love with a woman he'd only met once. A woman who was in love with and engaged to another man. A woman who had given herself to him so sweetly and eagerly that the memory of how she felt in his arms still had the power to stir both his senses and his body.

In hindsight, it was easy to see why she'd been so remote back then and even more so today. She was scared that this fiancé of hers would discover what she'd done…assuming he knew she was a virgin of course. He frowned. She had agreed to his suggestion that he was as good a lover as her boyfriend, but that was obviously a lie.

And as for that fiancé of hers…was the bloke such a complete git that he couldn't tell how much she needed him? Didn't he realise how easily he could lose her? Didn't the prat care?

Obviously not.

God, the burke was an idiot. If it were him…he stopped that thought and grimaced slightly; it wasn't him though, was it? Although…

Fate had thrown them together once and now it had decided to do so again. That had to mean something, right? Was it really a deliberate self-deception on his part to let himself think that two such accidental meetings must be more than coincidence, that maybe…maybe what?

That Buffy would break off her engagement and turn to him?

It surprised him just how much that thought pleased him. How much he wanted to hold her again, to love her. It wouldn't be too hard. He knew she wasn't as immune to him as she tried to pretend. A brief touch here, an inadvertent bumping into her there…

Abruptly, William sat up wondering what on earth was happening to him. He knew first hand what it felt like to be cheated on by the woman you loved and here he was admitting that he wanted a woman who'd knowingly slept with him while engaged to someone else. He ought to despise her, not want her.

Perhaps if she wasn't engaged. But she was and now he knew, he just had to put her out of his mind as best he could. And yet…even though she was committed to her fiancé emotionally, she certainly wasn't committed sexually.

No, sexually, she'd turned to him as a substitute for her fiancé. The fiancé she claimed was already her lover…but he knew different. If she lied about that, didn't it follow that she may have lied about the reasons for making love to him?

Realising the ridiculousness of his last thought, William let out a derisive chuckle and shook his head at what a ponce he was. He was clutching at straws, looking for something that didn't exist…not on her part, at least.

And yet…she'd seemed to be so different. In her arms, she'd made him feel…feel what? That their coming together, unconventional and reckless though it might have been, had been brought about by a force too strong for either of them to resist?

William let out a sigh and stood up. Walking over to window, he came to a halt and looked out of the wild tangle of the garden below. All this time he'd been kidding himself. Daydreams…fantasies…all made up by the burgeoning re-emergence of the young romantic poet he'd once been and had buried deep inside after Dru's betrayal. Well, he'd not listen to him anymore.

If he'd thought there was something special, something rare, something to be treasured about what they'd shared, then she'd not felt the same way. For her, he'd been convenient…a substitute.

Funny how that knowledge seemed to hurt a damn sight more than when he'd found out about Drusilla. And funny how after everything he'd discovered since seeing Buffy again, he still wanted her. More than anything. Fiancé and principles be damned.

END CHAPTER SEVEN


	8. Confessions of a Guilty Mind

CHAPTER 8 - Confessions Of A Guilty Mind

Elizabeth hurried down the stairs as quickly as her shaky legs could carry her. Upon reaching the last step, she stopped then leaned heavily against the banister post as she drew in deep ragged breaths. Had William really thought that she would be willing to enter into a casual sexual liaison with him? Oh God!

Hot, shaming colour stung her face and her hands trembled as she pushed away from the post and started to walk. Naively, she'd thought that once she knew she wasn't pregnant, there would be nothing further to worry about. How wrong she'd been.

Bitterly, she wondered what her uncle would say if he knew the truth about the man who he'd welcomed into his house. How many other women out there had William shared similar encounters with before her?

The thought made nausea burn in her throat but it was no use trying to convince herself that she was an innocent victim in all this. She'd gone into his arms willingly so it was no wonder that he'd assume she'd readily do so again.

It was her own fault that he had drawn the wrong conclusions about her and if she hadn't protected herself by saying that Connor was her fiancé…

She grimaced as her conscience niggled at her about that deceit, but what choice did she have? Even so, the look of shock and bitterness in his eyes as she'd announced her fake engagement had momentarily caught her off guard, making her wonder if, after all…

No! It was just anger at being used, she saw there, not the possibility that he'd felt the same about that night as she had and was hurt at the thought of her being engaged. His subsequent words and actions had proved that.

Entering the kitchen where Willow was still preparing the vegetables, she immediately walked over to a chair and gratefully sank down onto it before her legs finally gave out.

"Hey," Willow began brightly then stopped, her smile fading as she turned and saw how pale and shaken Elizabeth looked. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern. Putting down a knife and half-chopped carrot, she picked up a tea towel and wiped her hands as she moved over to her friend. "Elizabeth?" the redhead pressed as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and dropped the towel onto the table.

Elizabeth lifted her dazed eyes to Willow's, her reeling mind suddenly becoming focussed as she looked back into the concerned face of her friend before finally deciding to take the redhead up on the offer to talk…no matter how hard it was going to be.

"It's him," Elizabeth suddenly croaked out.

"Him?" the redhead repeated with a puzzled frown. "Him, who?"

"Him…William," the blonde replied, looking back down at the table.

"William? But I don't know…wait…he's the reason you've been with the vague-y-ness lately, isn't he?" Willow suddenly guessed intuitively. "Did you meet him at your mom's?"

"I…oh God," Elizabeth groaned, leaning her elbows on the table and letting her head drop into her hands. "This is terrible."

Willow stared down at her obviously distraught friend and quickly made a decision. Turning away, she closed the kitchen door to allow them some privacy then made them both a hot drink. Placing the steaming mug in front of Elizabeth, who had yet to raise her head, Willow then sat down on the chair opposite. Cradling her own mug of tea in her hands, the redhead quietly said, "Go ahead, Elizabeth, I'm listening."

After a few seconds, Elizabeth slowly lifted her head and let her hands drop to the table. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself to look at the redhead and saw nothing but compassion staring back at her. Shaking her head, she mirrored Willow's stance and wrapped her hands around her own mug. "I don't know where to start," she admitted softly.

"The beginning is always pretty good," Willow offered with an encouraging smile.

Elizabeth nodded then took a sip of her drink before letting out another heavy sigh. She was silent for a few more seconds, trying to gather the courage to tell her friend about the night she and William had met. Hesitatingly, she began to talk, hoping that by the end of her confession, Willow wouldn't condemn her for behaving in such an irresponsible and wanton way.

She explained her journey home, the snow, the crash, William's arrival, her misleading introduction and their getting caught in the snow-drift. She averted her gaze then, a blush coming over her skin as she lightly skimmed over the details of their sharing a sleeping bag and the consummation of their overwhelming passion followed by the devastating morning after when he'd resumed his cold treatment of her once more.

Pushing on past the hurt that still accompanied thoughts of that morning, Elizabeth told of her shock at finding out that William was in fact the colleague of her uncle that was going to stay and the heated conversation they'd had on the stairs before being interrupted by Connor's call. Elizabeth then reddened more and stared down at her cup of cooling tea as she admitted to panicking and appropriating her sister's fiancé in the hope's of putting him off, only to then have William shockingly proposition her anyway.

When Elizabeth finished speaking, Willow stared at her friend's downbent head in silence as she tried hard to assimilate everything the blonde had told her. She should be shocked…well…more shocked than she actually was. After all, her normally reserved friend had just told her that she'd given her virginity away to a complete stranger. Shocking, yes…and definitely not the Elizabeth she knew but, the way she'd described it, the pull had been bigger than both of them. It was kind of romantic in a way, although she doubted whether her friend would see it like that, especially since she'd seemed so disgusted with herself.

Willow sighed. Being with Oz had taught her exactly how strong attraction could be. She hadn't wanted to fall in love with anyone else after Xander but she had. Almost immediately. Yes, she'd resisted but ultimately, her feelings were too strong. But that was because they were in love.

Her gaze sharpened on the young woman in front of her at that thought and she pursed her lips in contemplation. Surely Elizabeth must have had feelings for William to have given him her virginity, didn't she? Feelings that, by the way she was acting, she was trying hard to deny which was how she'd managed to get herself into a right old pickle. Lies never solved anything as far as she was concerned but she understood that Elizabeth was only trying to protect herself the best way she could…whatever way she could.

Still, if he was as cold and calculating as she was saying, then it was no wonder. He'd already hurt her so it wouldn't do to get involved with a man like that, it'd only end up in more heartbreak for her. Best that she avoid him as much as she could which was no doubt going to prove difficult when they were living under the same roof.

She sighed again. Why did Elizabeth have to have such awful luck with men? She was such a nice person and good friend, it just didn't seem fair that she was treated this way.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Elizabeth asked quietly breaking into the redhead's musings.

Realising that she still hadn't made any comment on what Elizabeth had told her, the redhead gave herself a sharp mental reprimand for letting the blonde worry like that.

"I'm just trying to take everything in, Willow replied honestly. She saw the trepidation in her friend's face and sighed. "Look, Elizabeth," she began, reaching out to place a comforting hand on the blonde's arm. "I'm not going to judge you." Some of the worry dissipated from her friends features and Willow continued, "Sometimes things just happen and we don't know why but that doesn't make them wrong. I mean, yeah okay, maybe not so bright to tell an outright lie just now, but if it felt right for you to be with William that night a few weeks ago, then it was."

Elizabeth relaxed slightly and felt a wave of relief wash over her at Willow's kind words. Why hadn't she told her before now?

"Thanks Will," Elizabeth, patting her friends hand before she removed it from her arm.

The redhead shrugged and then leaned forward a little with half a smile. "I just want to add that if he can't see what a great person you are, then William's a poophead," she said, trying to diffuse the situation slightly while letting Elizabeth know she was okay with what she'd revealed.

Elizabeth huffed out a pained chuckle and looked heavenwards as if in hope of finding divine intervention. "Oh God, this is such a mess!" she exclaimed in frustration. "Why me? Loads of women do this kind of thing all the time with no problems but the one time I do it, he turns up unannounced on my doorstep expecting it to happen again."

"But you've told him it won't," Willow reminded her firmly. "Plus, engaged now…so he thinks…and he knows you don't like him so I doubt he'll bother you anymore. He was just taking advantage of the situation and now that's the end of it." The redhead paused then added softly, "Right?"

Elizabeth lowered her gaze and stared back at her friend. "Yeah, you're right, Will," she agreed quietly and gave the redhead a tremulous smile. "That's the end of it."

Not completely convinced but not wanting to force the issue, Willow smiled back then gave a nod as she got up. "Tell you what, I'll give Oz a call and cancel tonight so that I can stay for dinner and keep you company."

"Oh no," Elizabeth began but her friend waved her protestations aside and headed out of the kitchen.

"I won't be a minute."

Elizabeth stared after her then closed her eyes and murmured, "That's the end of it." With a sigh, her lids lifted and she stared blankly at the opposite wall. "So why does it feel like its just beginning?"

xxxxxxxx

William retrieved his cases and took them up to his room then methodically unpacked his clothes and put them away. Mindful that he was to meet Giles in the lounge for a drink, he decided to freshen up first before heading down.

Picking up a folded towel that lay on the foot of his bed, he opened the door then looked out and studied the three other doors that lined the hallway trying to guess which one was the bathroom. Discounting the door to his left, he hazarded that one of the two doors on his right was probably the one he was looking for.

He tried the first door and it opened to reveal what was obviously a female bedroom. No doubt it was Buffy's…no, Elizabeth's…he had to remember that was her name now. Cream and soft rose colours prevailed as his gaze swept over the tidy room until it came to rest on the bed that sat against the far wall. It was big. Far too big for someone as tiny as her, all alone. She must get lost in it at times.

A smile quirked at his lips at that thought but it quickly faded when he was assailed by a picture of her laying entangled in the sheets next to her faceless fiancé, soft light glinting off of her naked curves and a satisfied smile gracing her face in the obvious afterglow of lovemaking.

He abruptly closed the door with a slam, shutting out the sight of her bed and briefly closed his eyes as he tried to rid himself of the torturous vision. Emitting a low growl of aggravation, he turned away then stalked up to the other door and was relieved to find that when he opened this one, the bathroom greeted his gaze.

Going in, he turned the lock then dropped the towel on top of the toilet and turned to the basin. Stripping off his shirt, he turned on the cold water tap then cupped his hands under the steady stream and splashed the refreshing fluid over his face. After repeating the action another couple of times, he switched off the tap then rested his hands on the basin and stared at himself in the mirror.

Unfortunately, he couldn't wash away the vision of Elizabeth in her bed as easily as he could the surface grime of the day.

Droplets of water rolled down his face clinging to his nose and chin before dripping into the basin, his neatly styled hair now curling slightly from where water had splashed up during his wash. Pain filled blue eyes looked back at him and he sighed before pushing away from the basin and picking up the towel. Roughly drying his face, he then put his shirt back on and smoothed down his curls as best he could before leaving the bathroom and going back to his room.

Draping the towel over a warm radiator to dry, he then decided to head downstairs to meet with Giles. He toyed with the idea of trying to talk to the older man about Elizabeth's fiancé but he didn't know how he was going to bring the other man up in conversation without getting asked some questions he'd rather not answer. Plus, Elizabeth said that her uncle didn't know yet. It would hardly gain him any points if he blabbed anything to Giles behind her back. No, best not say anything himself and just wait and see if Giles did. Unlikely, but he had no other option for now.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Giles happened to exit his study and after a brief hello, led William to the lounge. It was a tastefully decorated room that was large enough to accommodate the dining table at the far end.

William noticed that it was already set up for dinner and that there were four places. Frowning slightly, he wondered who else would be there and for a horrible fleeting moment thought it would be Elizabeth's fiancé until he remembered that he was in America…stupid twit.

"Whisky?" Giles suddenly asked, holding up a bottle of twenty-one year old Glenfiddich Gran Reserva.

William let out a low appreciative whistle then walked over and nodded. "Expensive," he commented, impressed.

"Well, it is a special occasion," Giles replied with a smile as he poured some of the drink into a crystal tumbler and handed it over to William. "It's not every day that one of my ex-pupil's takes over a Chair at Cambridge."

"Yes, well, thank you for recommending me," the younger man replied, taking the glass and holding it up to Rupert in salute. "Cheers."

"Cheers," Giles echoed then took a sip of the amber liquid and closed his eyes enjoying the feel of the smooth alcohol slide down his throat. "Wonderful."

"Very nice," William agreed.

They shared a satisfied smile then the younger man gestured to the table. "There someone else coming to dinner?"

Giles nodded. "Elizabeth's friend, Willow, will be joining us tonight. Lovely girl."

Just then, they heard the sound of a door opening at the other end of the room and saw Elizabeth emerge from what William surmised was a second door to the kitchen and walk over to the table carrying a bowl of steaming boiled potatoes and one of carrots. She placed them on the white tablecloth then after a brief glance in William's direction, she ducked her head and left the room for more dishes.

"Ah, looks like dinner's ready," Giles stated as he gestured over to the table. "Shall we sit down?"

William nodded and they sat on opposite sides of the table facing each other. This time when the door opened, both Elizabeth and Willow entered carrying trays that had pork chops, peas, cauliflower and gravy on them. They placed the food on the table and received murmurs of appreciation from the two men.

Studiously avoiding William's gaze, Elizabeth was undecided on where to sit. Willow, seeing her dilemma, took the seat next to William and Elizabeth shot her a grateful look before sitting next to her uncle. It wasn't until she looked up and locked eyes with William that she realised that it maybe it would've been wiser to sit next to him where she would've been able to avoid his intense gaze.

Swallowing hard, she looked down and numbly began passing the dishes around when her uncle told everyone to help themselves. She heard Giles introduce Willow and William's courteous greeting that followed and mentally sighed as she felt the pressure begin to rise behind her lids indicating the mother of all headaches was on its way. Again.

Keeping her eyes firmly down, she tried concentrating on her food but, in her highly strained state, everything tasted like cardboard. Pushing the food around her plate, she absently listened to the conversation that carried on around her.

William and Giles talked about work and, upon Willow's enquiry, she discovered that it was her uncle who had put William forward for the job. He was very young to take on such a distinguished position and Elizabeth realised that, whatever his morals may be, he obviously had a brilliant mind.

As the chat flowed, she became aware that William showed amazing tact when dealing with her uncle, allowing him to speak and not seeming to mind if the older man dominated the conversation. He was also surprisingly modest. Most of Giles' colleagues tended to brag about themselves whereas William was markedly reserved, even going so far as to downplay his achievements.

Glancing at her uncle, she realised that she hadn't seen him look so animated for ages. Not being his intellectual equal, Giles rarely spoke of his work in any great detail to her, so it was nice to see him looking so happy now that he had someone with whom he could.

Chancing a look at William, she noted that there was no hint of boredom on the younger man's face. Instead, he regarded Giles with a respect and understanding that made something inside her contract achingly as though somebody had touched a sensitive spot.

She quelled the feeling immediately and unhappily pondered the question that if William had to reappear in her life, why did he have to show her this mature, nice side of his personality and make it so hard for her to actively dislike him?

She pouted slightly and cast a slightly disgruntled look at her redheaded friend. Even Willow seemed to like him, sitting there happily contributing to the conversation and giving him a friendly smile.

Suddenly, the whole scenario of William just sitting there eating and chatting with her friend and family as if he hadn't a care in the world so soon after completely upsetting hers became too much for her to bear. Standing abruptly, she clumsily knocked against the table rattling her cutlery and causing all conversation to cease as everyone turned to look at her in surprise, almost as if they forgot she was there.

That thought was the icing on the crumbling cake and she looked away mumbling something about doing some work on her uncle's notes. Picking up her plate of barely touched food, she put it on a nearby tray then gathered together the empty dishes and put them on as well.

Sensing Elizabeth's unease, Willow also clambered up and began to help her friend, placing her plate of half eaten food on the other tray. They turned to the door then Elizabeth's heart rate sped up as she saw William also stand then walk over to the door and courteously open it up so that they could go through unhindered.

Swallowing hard, she watched him smile at Willow as she walked passed, then forced herself to move, her heart thumping harder with each step. As she neared, she saw him take a step forward and fought against the impulse to run straight past and slam the door behind her.

He wouldn't try anything would he? Not here. Not in front of her uncle. Oh God…

His hand wrapped gently around her arm sending a surge of awareness through her that twisted her stomach up in knots of frightened acknowledgement of how much his touch affected her. He remained silent until she dragged her gaze up to meet his and drew in a sharp breath at what she saw in his eyes. It was as though he was looking through to her very soul and seeing what only she had the right to know lay there; as if he had confronted her mentally and emotionally in silent demand that she acknowledge her reaction to him.

"Thank you for dinner, Elizabeth. It was wonderful," he quietly complimented with a sincere smile.

The blonde blinked back at him in surprise. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. "You're welcome," she mumbled before looking away and moving forward. William immediately let go of her arm and she couldn't help but feel bereft at the loss of his touch. She heard the door shut with a quiet click behind her and exhaled sharply as she put the tray down on the table with a thud.

Her heart flipped madly as she recalled the look in his eyes and she clamped her mouth tightly shut in order to contain the panicked bubble of laughter that begged for release.

It was ironic really. If they hadn't already met and she didn't know exactly what kind of man William was, just by listening and watching him tonight she would've been in grave danger of falling for him…big time.

But the difference was that they had met and she did know him, therefore she'd ever allow herself fall in love with a man like that.

No way.

No how.

Not even if, deep down, her heart knew what her brain refused to acknowledge…that it was already to late.

END CHAPTER EIGHT


	9. Building Up The Walls

CHAPTER 9 – Building Up the Walls

"You okay?" Willow asked as she walked over to her friend and came to a stop by her side.

Elizabeth looked up and nodded. "Yeah, it's…just for a minute there, I couldn't take anymore, you know?"

"I know," the redhead assured her with a smile. Picking up the tray Elizabeth had put down, she took it over to the sink then began rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

The blonde went over to help and glanced over at her friend. "So, what did you think of him? You seemed to get on well," she commented unable to keep the slightly accusing tone out of her voice.

Willow sighed. "To be honest, Elizabeth, if you hadn't told me anything about him before hand, I'd say he was a pretty nice guy," she told her honestly.

The blonde nodded. "If I didn't already know him, I'd have to agree," she admitted quietly. "But it's all fake. He was just being nice because of Uncle Rupert and you. I know the real William."

The redhead turned to look at her friend with a slight frown. "Are you sure?"

The blonde bristled slightly at her friends' tone. "After what he said to me this afternoon? I think the answer to that question is obvious, Will," she said, anger darkening her eyes slightly. "And I'd rather not talk about him any more thank you very much."

She turned away and Willow stared at her friend's rigid back in silence. Intuition told her that William wasn't really a bad guy but she knew that Elizabeth wasn't in any state of mind to hear that kind of opinion at the moment. It would be better to leave things for now and see how they go. If William was a horrible person then he'd show his real colours soon enough. Until then, she'd reserve judgement and be the supportive friend she should be.

"Okay, I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Willow said quietly. "I won't say another word."

Elizabeth turned back and bit her lip as she watched the redhead close the dishwasher door and hit the button to begin the cycle. "No, Will, I'm the one that should be saying sorry. I had no right to snap at you like that. I'm just…I'm kind of all over the place at the moment, you know?"

The redhead sighed then nodded and returned Elizabeth's tentative smile with a reassuring one of her own. "Don't worry, everything will be fine, just wait and see. And don't forget that I'm here for you no matter what, okay?"

"Thanks Will, you're the bestest friend ever," Elizabeth said as she stepped forward and pulled her friend into a hug.

"I know," the redhead replied and both girls giggled as they broke apart, the tenseness of moments before forgotten.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal William who entered carrying his and Giles' empty plates. Immediately the relaxed air changed to an almost tangible tension that had him freeze in his tracks. Knowing he was the cause, he swallowed down his frustration and adopted an impassive mask as he strolled over to the table and put down the plates. "Rupert wants some coffee. Is it okay if I go ahead and make some?" he asked, taking a step towards the kettle.

"No!" Elizabeth said sharply, causing him to stop and look over at her. Clearing her throat nervously as his questioning gaze settled on her, Elizabeth glanced over at Willow and then back at William. The last thing she needed right now was to have him standing about the kitchen with them. He'd be so close. Too close.

"I…I mean, Uncle Rupert doesn't like instant…he only drinks filter. I'll make it and bring it in before I go up," she told him awkwardly. "You go back and talk to Uncle Rupert. I'm sure there's a lot you have to discuss."

For a minute William looked as if he might object and insist on doing it himself but then he merely shrugged and gave a brief nod of assent before leaving the room.

Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh and Willow walked over to the filter machine. "Don't worry, I'll do it," she offered, seeing how pale her friend had gone.

"No Will, it's okay. I'll be fine," Elizabeth said with a grateful smile. "You go home and call Oz. Maybe you can salvage the rest of the evening instead of wasting time here. I mean, it's just coffee…nothing's going to happen with my uncle there and then I'll go straight upstairs."

The redhead's eyes brightened at the thought of seeing her fiancé and Elizabeth felt a pang of guilt that she hadn't insisted that Willow go before.

"Are you sure?" Willow asked hopefully, torn between wanting to spend some time with Oz and leaving her friend when she was so obviously rattled.

"Positive," Elizabeth assured her. "Now go. And thanks for everything tonight."

Willow gave the blonde a hug and said goodnight then went through to the dining room and bade farewell to Giles and William before leaving.

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth had made the coffee and, after taking a deep calming breath, went through to the dining room. The men were deep in conversation but as soon as William noticed her, he stood up to take the tray from her hands. Their fingers brushed and Elizabeth instinctively jerked her hand away which caused the crockery to rattle violently on the tray and a spoon to fall onto the table and bounce over to where her uncle sat.

He picked it up and eyed it with a frown then raised his gaze to his niece. "Elizabeth are you feeling quite well? You appear to be a trifle clumsy tonight," he stated in concern.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "I…I'm fine," the blonde lied. "Just a little tired, I guess." She glanced at William who regarded her a knowing look and slight smile.

"Well, perhaps you'd do better to leave the book tonight and go straight to bed, my dear," her uncle suggested.

"I think I will," agreed Elizabeth, turning to go. "Night."

"Goodnight Elizabeth," said William in a husky voice that had her pausing and turning to look at him.

"Goodnight William," she murmured in response then hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

Once in her room, she grabbed her nightgown and robe then went next door into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she re-emerged tightly clutching the robe around her and walked back to her room. She could hear her uncle and William still talking and thought how indicative it was of the differing attitudes between men and women after spending the night together. Here she was agonising over the incident ever since she'd first seen William that afternoon and there he was apparently having no problem in dismissing the whole thing from his mind and spending the evening chatting with her uncle in complete relaxation and enjoyment.

Life was really unfair at times.

She got into bed and let out a long sigh then closed her eyes hoping that she'd soon drift off into slumber. Fifteen minutes later, she opened them again and angrily turned on her stomach, trying to dismiss the foreign emotions and feelings that were crowding her brain and body.

She didn't want William here, invading her life, disturbing her peace, making her tell lies. She didn't want him reminding her of what she'd done and most of all, she didn't want him here because of the way he made her feel…about herself…about him.

'You're a fool,' she told herself with derision. A fool because she'd broken all her own rules and beliefs when she'd had a fleeting moment of panic that life was passing her by. And then, to compound her folly, she'd weaved idiotic and impossible dreams of 'what if's' and 'maybes' so that when she'd been confronted by the reality of him, he had easily torn through the thin shrouds of self-protection she'd cloaked herself and her actions in. Every romantic illusion she'd fooled herself with had been stripped away by his careless assumption that she would be happy to indulge in a meaningless affair.

She'd been shocked, not only because of how much it'd hurt but also because she'd realised just how far she'd allowed herself to travel down the road of disillusionment. It was a sobering insight that she knew she wouldn't forget in a long while.

The stairs creaked and she cursed herself for automatically lifting her head to hear better. The sound of footsteps on the staircase and along the landing was followed by a muffled goodnight spoken between the two men and she lay her head down again when the doors to their respective rooms opened and closed.

Turning onto her back, she felt an odd unfamiliar strand of sensation wend its way through her body and with a horrified gasp she suddenly realised what it was…

Disappointment!

A sharp dart of self-disgust coiled through her system and she numbly shook her head in a vain attempt to dispel the feeling. How could she be disappointed that he'd gone straight to bed for heaven's sake? She certainly didn't want him to just casually walk in and…and what? Demand that she sleep with him?

The thought sent a shiver of desire through her body that had her vigorously plumping up her pillows and turning back onto her front. Burying her face into the soft down, she determinedly ignored the tingling ache that now radiated from her core and tried to relax.

It was a long time before she got to sleep that night.

xxxxxxxxx

William pulled the covers up to his chest then let out a long sigh as he thought of Elizabeth lying in her big bed all alone in the next room. It had been an extremely draining day where his emotions had risen and fallen as if he were on a huge roller coaster. The joy he'd felt at seeing her again had been nothing compared to the depths of despair he'd sunk to upon learning of her engagement.

He turned his head and stared into the darkness at the wall that separated their rooms. She was there. Just a few feet away. He could be in her room and filling both that ridiculous bed and her in mere seconds if he wanted to…but he didn't. He wouldn't. Not until she admitted something special had happened between them that night. That she wanted him as much as he wanted her. That she felt…something for him. And she would. He was determined and…and…painfully hard, he realised ruefully.

"Wonderful," he muttered morosely to himself as he contemplated the option of relieving himself but rejected it almost immediately. Wouldn't do to mess up the sheets and he couldn't take the chance that either Rupert or Elizabeth wouldn't decide to use the bathroom just as he walked out into the hallway. Would be a little difficult to explain away his obvious arousal.

Sitting up, he twisted his torso then punched the pillows in frustration and turned over onto his front. Burying his face in the soft down, he simultaneously ground his pelvis into the mattress in an attempt to relieve his aching member and let out a low groan.

It was a long time before he got to sleep that night.

xxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Elizabeth entered the kitchen wearing her usual attire of jeans and loose blouse. Fastening her hair into a ponytail, she walked over to the fridge and got out some eggs and milk.

When she'd awoken that morning, Elizabeth had decided that her behaviour the day before could be excused because of her surprise at William's unexpected appearance. Today however, today she was in control, prepared and very, very determined to stand up to anything he said or did. He was just another colleague of her uncle's and she would treat him as such. Cool politeness was the way to go…nothing more.

The sound of the back door opening had her head snap around in surprise. Uncle Rupert never beat her downstairs, which could only mean…

"Good morning," William greeted amiably as he closed the door behind him.

Cool politeness. Cool politeness. "Morning," she replied forcing herself to look at him while inwardly cringing at the breathiness of her tone.

They stared at each other for a moment. "I've just been out for a walk," he explained unnecessarily. "I couldn't sleep and the garden has been calling me since yesterday. It's bigger than I realised."

"It's a bit overgrown," Elizabeth admitted stiltedly. "I just don't get the time."

She turned away to get some mugs out of the cupboard above her head then switched on the kettle to boil. A slight noise from behind made her look over her shoulder and she was startled to see that William had moved closer to her enabling her to smell the cool sharp scent of the early morning air that clung to him from his walk.

"While I'm here, maybe I can help you work on it?" he suggested easily.

"Maybe," she muttered non-committedly before looking away again. "Breakfast won't be long if you want to go and get ready," she added in a dismissive tone, hoping he'd take the hint and leave.

William tutted. "I thought you were Rupert's assistant, not his housekeeper," he challenged, almost angrily.

She turned around to face him at that. "I enjoy looking after him," she retorted defensively, her body stiffening with resentment at all the years of listening to her parent's bewilderment at the totally alien urge to nurture that she seemed to possess. "Not everyone wants to strive for academic or material success; we don't all want to climb mountains and…and conquer the world, you know?"

William regarded her in silence. He hadn't meant to upset her with his comment, it just didn't sit well that she waited on everyone hand and foot. He suspected from the way she'd spoken though, that she was getting more off her chest than just annoyance at his observation. This had obviously been a bone of contention with someone else before now. Her fiancé perhaps? He hoped not. He'd hate to have something in common with the absent twit.

"I'm sorry," he finally replied. "If you're happy looking after the running of the house then far be it for me to say anything." He gave her a small smile. "You know, contentment is a state of mind that far too few people rarely find. Best not let go of it just because it might not be what other people expect."

Elizabeth was taken aback at his insight and looked at him warily. He seemed sincere…and suddenly even nearer than before. Without even knowing she was doing it, she leaned in closer to him until she was within touching distance. "I know how lucky I am," she said with as much dignity as she could muster.

"And does your fiancé know how lucky he is?"

The soft voiced question was as effective as having a bucket of cold water thrown over her and she immediately took a step back from him, distancing herself. When had she gotten so close? Or was it he that had moved again? She didn't know any more.

She'd been so intent on defending herself from what she'd perceived as his criticism of her way of life - the same as she'd often received from her parents in the past - that she'd completely forgotten about everything else. She stared at him speechless, unaware of the confusion that clouded her eyes and the way they flared with a sudden hint of fear as she recalled her current situation.

William's jaw tightened in irritation. What the hell was the matter with the man that he could induce such uncertainty and low self-esteem in the woman he was supposed to love? he wondered bitterly. What was their relationship based on that she felt the need to lose herself and her innocence in the arms of a stranger? Why, whenever he mentioned the prat, did she seem to tense up…what did that mean?

A cold finger of dread crawled up his spine. He couldn't be violent to her could he? It'd explain a great many things if he were. William's insides churned unpleasantly at the thought of anyone harming the petite woman in front of him and his hands curled into tight fists at his side. Unable to look at the pain in her face any longer, he abruptly turned away and tried to rein in his sudden flare of temper against a man he hoped he'd never meet.

Elizabeth watched him turn away and immediately thought that he must have somehow or other sensed that tiny betraying twist of sensation inside her. That he must have known of that ridiculous helpless yearning deep inside, compelling her to move closer to him even though she remained frozen in place, immobilised by the strength of her feelings.

"I have to get on with breakfast," she informed him curtly.

"Of course, " William agreed, throwing her a grim glance over his shoulder. "And I have to go and get changed. Rupert's coming to the University with me this morning."

She remained silent as he quickly strode out of the kitchen leaving her to sag back against the worktop behind her and fervently wish that she'd never, ever met him.

END CHAPTER NINE


	10. A Woman Of Many Disguises

CHAPTER 10 - A Woman Of Many Disguises

"Don't forget that Liam Connell is coming today Uncle Rupert," Elizabeth reminded her relative as he followed her into the kitchen. They'd just finished breakfast and William was upstairs getting some papers that he needed for the University.

"I won't," Giles assured his niece with a smile. "I'm quite looking forward to meeting the young man. He's done much to improve his company since he took over, I believe."

Elizabeth nodded absently, one eye on the door as her stomach knotted in anticipation of William's return. Surprisingly, breakfast hadn't been the ordeal she was expecting. William had been attentive and polite, even going so far as to insisting that she finish eating while he got up to make another pot of tea.

Hearing the sound of him coming back down the stairs, she busied herself with the task of washing up by hand so that there was no need for her to do anything other than throw a curt 'goodbye' over her shoulder to them as he and her uncle left.

With the two men gone, Elizabeth felt herself completely relax for the first time in what felt like days. She quickly cleaned the rest of the dishes then left them on the side to drain and went upstairs.

Before she started work on her uncle's book, she needed to give the bedrooms a quick tidy and hoover. It wasn't a job she particularly liked but it needed to be done. Her uncle was generally fastidious when it came to his study but had a tendency, like most men, to be untidy in the bedroom and bathroom. Years as a bachelor had taught him not to bother unless he had company.

At that thought, Elizabeth let out an involuntary shudder as the idea of her uncle and 'company' sharing the same intimacy that she and William had made her cringe…so didn't need to go there!

After cleaning Giles' room, Elizabeth knew she had to do William's next. She stood outside the door for a good ten minutes, her hand reaching for the doorknob and being retracted at the last second countless times before she finally entered. Telling herself that he was just another one of her uncle's colleague's and nothing more, she cautiously walked in and closed the door behind her quietly.

To say she was surprised at how neat and tidy the room appeared was an understatement. The bed was made and the only piece of clothing that was on view was William's leather duster that was draped casually over a chair by the window. In fact, if it wasn't for that one item, Elizabeth would think that no-one was actually occupying the room.

Her eyes were drawn back to his coat and she slowly walked over to the chair. It was the same one he'd worn the fatal night they'd met, she was certain. Reaching out, she ran a hand over the worn leather marvelling at how soft it felt beneath her touch. She picked it up and brought it to her face inhaling William's unique scent…the used leather retaining the lingering aroma of whatever spicy aftershave he used combining with the faint smell of cigarettes.

Subconsciously, her fingers curled tightly around the soft fabric as if it would give her support. Memories so sharp, so clear, so intensely real that she could feel their echo in the immediate reaction of her body, assailed her.

Now that it was too late to do anything about it, she understood the impetuosity, the need, the intensity that had made her act so out of character and throw caution to the wind. It had nothing to do with Dawn's engagement, nor with the fact that she was twenty-four and had still been a virgin.

No…somehow, against everything she'd believed about herself, she'd looked at William and had subconsciously wanted him. Not just any man…but one particular man…

William.

Unsteadily, she sat down on the bed still clutching his coat to her chest. She'd never wanted a man…not like that. Not the kind of wanting that was stronger than any other feeling she'd ever experienced, even with Parker.

She drew in a deep, shaky breath and looked out of the window when one of the bare branches of the tree outside scraped against the pane as it swayed in the sudden breeze.

In a few months those branches would be covered with leaves. In a few months, the overgrown borders in the garden would be a riot of colourful blooms. In a few months, William would be gone and she would be able to return to her safe, protected little world. She'd be free from all these tormenting thoughts that had her investigating every tiny feeling she had and free from those mesmerising blue eyes of his that seemed to be able to see right through her.

She got up and began pacing up and down the room still keeping a tight grip on the leather duster. So what if she had felt desire for William? She was only human, wasn't she? Surely she was allowed to have normal human feelings and failings?

As she'd told Willow, many other women had done what she had without tearing themselves up about it like she was doing. God, she could barely look at herself in the mirror without cringing. It'd been bad enough when she only had her own knowledge of her actions to contend with…but now there was William too. A man who had seen her at her most defenceless and unprotected.

She paused. Was that why she felt like she did? Lied like she had? Because she felt in some way that by giving herself to William that night, she'd exposed herself to him in a way that would always make her vulnerable?

She started pacing again. If only he wasn't here, she would've been able to cope then. Now it was beginning to haunt her…just as William had haunted her dreams every single night since then.

Coming to a stop in front of the window she stared out of it without seeing any of the view. Mentally, she was back inside the car with William, wrapped in his arms, loving the sensation of his bare flesh against her own, aching for the soft trail of his hands down her body…

With a soft tormented cry, she dropped his coat and closed her eyes as she leant her hot face against the cool glass. Why was she doing this to herself? She should be remembering that night with disgust, not this aching yearning that evoked both a physical and emotional loneliness that swelled inside her and made her eyes and throat sting with stupid, useless tears.

Crying over William? Why? He'd seen an opportunity and took it…just like any man would. And the only reason she was tormenting herself now was because she couldn't bear to accept the notion that she had desired a man without any further emotion being involved. But she'd be a greater fool if she had, she realised grimly…for it was far more dangerous to want William emotionally than to simply want him physically.

Opening her eyes, she looked through the window to the garden below and stared at the untidy borders full of weeds and tangled climbers. If her mind were a physical thing, she had no doubt that right now that would be exactly what it looked like.

Wiping her eyes, she stepped back and looked down at the coat lying on the floor. She picked it up and gently laid it over the chair letting her hand trail over it one more time before leaving.

After straightening her own bedroom, she grabbed the proof read notes for her uncle's book from her small desk by the window then headed downstairs. Next to Giles' study was a small room that they used as a library cum office. Full to the brim bookshelves lined each wall and in the middle sat a mahogany desk with a computer on top. She switched it on and waited for it to boot up then opened up the appropriate files and began transcribing.

Three hours and several tea's and coffee's later, she switched everything off. Angel was due in an hour and she wanted to shower and change before the publisher arrived. Leaving the notes on a stack of books on her desk, she jogged up the stairs and grabbed her toiletries and robe from her bedroom. She showered quickly then went back into her bedroom and dried her hair.

After donning fresh underwear, she chose to put on a knee length dark green straight skirt and coupled it with a deceptively form fitting pale green blouse that showed off her curves and brought out the colour of her eyes without her realising it.

She then applied a little make-up and told herself that the reason she was taking extra care wasn't because of William. Certainly not! It was just that it wouldn't hurt to make a good impression on Angel as it was down to him whether her uncle's book was published or not.

She went back downstairs and prepared some sandwiches and tea for her uncle and Angel then took them into the study. Just as she put the tray down, she heard the front door open. Her stomach muscles tightened as she heard Giles and William enter and head for the study. Unconsciously, her body took on a defensive stance going ramrod straight and her chin lifted defiantly as she realised her hope of William maybe going upstairs first wasn't to be.

"Ah, good, you've made some tea," Rupert declared as he walked in taking off his coat. "That wind was damned cold today, I could do with a nice hot cup." He looked around then back at his niece. "I take it our guest hasn't arrived as yet?"

"He should be here anytime now," Elizabeth replied automatically. For some reason she was finding it extremely difficult to remove her gaze from William. He was standing framed in the doorway, just watching her in a sober, unfathomable way that made her heart skip and pulse race.

Giles was still talking, but Elizabeth had lost all ability to concentrate on anything other than William. Her mouth went dry and she could feel herself begin to tremble inwardly. "I'd better get back to the kitchen and put the breakfast things away," she heard herself mutter mundanely. What the heck was the matter with her? Why did William have this power to provoke this intense awareness within her?

"Could you bring another cup back in with you, dear?" Giles said in response to Elizabeth's comment. "I'd like William to join us, he has experience with this sort of thing."

"Not much," the younger man denied self-effacingly. "A couple of small articles and a poetry book. Nothing on this scale."

Although he was speaking to Giles, William still kept his eyes firmly on Elizabeth and the older man paused for a moment as he realised that his niece was staring avidly back. A small smile graced his lips and he cleared his throat slightly then turned away and walked over to his desk. How had he not noticed such an obvious spark? Really, he was getting quite slow in his old age.

Elizabeth also noticed that William had yet to look away and wondered why he was deliberately trying to make her feel uncomfortable. Unless…

Her eyes widened. Unless, like her, he was physically incapable do so? Her heart gave a sudden leap and she felt sick and excited all at the same time. Stop it, she told herself firmly. Stop imagining things that simply don't exist. You know what he's really like and what he wants from you.

That thought was enough to bring her back to earth with such a hard thump that she actually felt the urge to retch. Managing to finally drag her gaze away from his, she put her head down and began to walk towards the door. When he didn't move away until she was almost abreast of him, her stomach lurched unpleasantly and she automatically looked up at him.

"Do you need me to help you with anything?" he offered politely.

Unable to force any words past her lips, she merely shook her head then brushed past him and hurried into the kitchen. Once there, she shut the door and leaned back against it for a few seconds until she felt able to move again.

The doorbell sounded and she turned to go and answer it but stopped when she heard the measured steps of William walking through the hall to open the door and let the publisher in. Deciding to let the men have a few minutes to introduce themselves and get settled, she moved to refill the kettle and make more tea now that she knew William was going to be present.

William looked at the man standing on the doorstep assessingly. He was a good few inches taller than himself, broad in build and what most women would consider handsome he supposed. Personally, he thought the man had a large forehead and used too much hair gel but that was probably because he now realised why Elizabeth had changed into that amazingly sexy outfit while he and Giles had been gone.

"Connell?" he queried curtly.

"Yeah, I'm here to see Rupert Giles," the dark haired man replied.

William nodded then stepped back to allow the other man entrance. Even though he'd taken an instant dislike to the man, he forced himself to be polite and showed him to the study. He then excused himself saying he'd let Elizabeth know that the publisher had arrived.

Seconds later he entered the kitchen. "He's here," he told Elizabeth quietly, coming to a stop a couple of feet away.

"I know," she replied, turning to give him a strained smile. "I'll bring the extra cup in in a minute," she added dismissively.

But William refused to be dismissed, staying where he was, watching her closely. "What a woman of disguises you are," he eventually commented softly. "The night we met, you were the epitome of the modern woman who makes up her own rules for the way she lives her life. Then yesterday…so demure, all neutral colours, casual dress and now…today…yet another Elizabeth."

He gaze raked over her insolently. "No need to ask whose benefit this one is for," he added acidly as he took a step towards her. "I'm sure he'll be most impressed by you." Another step. "He looks the type who likes his women ladylike but not too reserved." Another step and then he was right in front of her.

"The way you've got your hair down soft and free like that…makes a man wonder what it'd be like to slide his fingers through it and use its soft delicacy to hold you captive under his mouth." As he spoke, he raised his hand and ghosted it over her head as if he were going to touch but didn't.

She drew in a laboured breath as her eyes slid shut only to open them abruptly again at his next low husky words.

"The way your blouse clings in all the right places…makes a man want to undo each button nice and slow so that he can reveal the soft, sensitive flesh that lies beneath inch by delectable inch."

She held her breath fighting everything in her not to lean forward into his beckoning touch as his hand, still ghosting, drifted down following the outward curve of her breast.

"Of course, you don't need me to tell you that, do you?" he then whispered harshly. "Your fiancé has probably already told you the same thing…and much, much more."

He was angry, she suddenly realised as her stunned brain tried to make sense of the ridiculous accusations he was throwing at her. She was just wearing a blouse her sister had bought her and an old skirt. Nothing special. So why was he acting like this?

"What is it exactly that you want from my sex, Elizabeth?" he suddenly ground out, as he forced his hand to drop to his side in order to stop himself from grabbing her. "You're engaged and yet you gave yourself to me when…" he broke off abruptly, breathing deeply as he struggled to control the emotions surging inside him.

What on earth had gotten into him? Just because he was a woman's first lover, there was no reason for him to develop this crazy, possessive attitude towards her. She was engaged to someone else for Christ's sake!

But it was to him that she turned for physical intimacy…for passion, a little voice reminded him firmly. Him dammit!

His silence enabled Elizabeth to break out of the trance he seemed to have put her in and she turned away blindly opening the cupboard behind her and grabbing a cup. Inwardly, she was shaking with tension and reaction but she was determined that she wouldn't let him see how much his anger had affected her.

Head held high, she walked past him ignoring his muttered plea of, "Elizabeth, wait…"

Outside in the hallway she couldn't resist the urge to glance at herself in the large mirror hanging on the wall by her uncle's study. Unsurprisingly, she noted that her face was flushed then, as her eyes drifted lower to her blouse, she shockingly realised that everything William had said was true. How had she never noticed the way the material clung to her body lending subtle emphasis to the gentle swell of her breasts in a way that might well be described as provocative.

Provocative. Not a word she would ever have associated with herself before now. She'd never worn anything that would deliberately draw attention to her body…truth was, she didn't really think it was worth drawing attention to.

And yet, William had noticed it. Had noticed and wrongly accused her of trying to gain the attention of a man she'd never even met. A man who probably wouldn't even look at her twice. It was all so ridiculous.

She was roused from her internal musings when William suddenly appeared and opened the door to Giles' study ahead of her. She walked forward then, either by design or accident, he held it open in such a way that she had to squeeze passed him through the gap. Goosebumps immediately rose all over her skin sending a frission of sensation through her that made her visibly shiver drawing the gazes of both William and the dark haired man talking to her uncle.

The quick, assessing male interest that flared momentarily in the publisher's eyes before he gave her a slow grin startled her so much that she simply stared back at him in amazement. What had happened to her that she'd gone from being a woman that she was certain no man bothered to look at to someone who merited these discreet, but definitely male, appraisals that she was receiving from both William and Angel?

She wondered briefly if it was because she was no longer a virgin but quickly dismissed the idea as ludicrous…that wasn't something that was discernible by the human eye. No, the difference must be her. She must be giving off some kind of 'come get me' signal unknowingly.

God, if only she knew how to switch it off!

Beside her, William glanced over at Connell then back at Elizabeth and his jaw clenched painfully. Closing the door with a barely restrained slam, he saw Elizabeth jump slightly then turn her head towards him. He raised a brow and was rewarded with a faint blush that told him his words from earlier weren't lost on her.

Elizabeth looked away from William's grim expression and over to Angel's obviously interested one and mentally sighed. Somehow she didn't think this meeting was going to go as smoothly as she'd anticipated.

END CHAPTER 10


	11. Green Be The Colour Of Envy

CHAPTER 11 - Green Be The Colour of Envy

"Ah, this is my niece, Elizabeth Summers," Giles introduced as she placed the extra cup down on the tea tray. "I believe you've spoken with her over the telephone?"

"I have indeed," Liam replied, walking over to her with his hand outstretched. "It's a pleasure to finally put a face to the voice," he told her smoothly.

Elizabeth clasped his hand and was taken by surprise when instead of shaking it as expected, Liam turned it over then raised it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back. Eyes never leaving hers, he then pulled back and gave her a half smile as she blushed prettily. "A real pleasure," he reiterated softly.

"I-it's nice to meet you too, Mr. Connell," Elizabeth stammered awkwardly, conscious of the fact that she and Liam were the centre of attention.

"Oh, come now, I thought we already agreed that all my close friends call me Angel?" he admonished lightly.

"Um, yes, of course…Angel," she amended, glancing over at William's disapproving expression as she tugged her hand from the publisher's grasp.

"Your uncle's been telling me that you've been working hard on the book and that you'll be able to tell me far more about its progress that he can," Angel continued as he reluctantly released her hand. "Maybe we could have a private chat after I've finished speaking with your uncle?"

"Uh…yes…of course," she replied in surprise. "I have a small office next door we can use."

"Great," he enthused and produced an infectious grin that she couldn't help but respond to.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked.

"Love some," he answered amiably.

Elizabeth smiled and busied herself with the task while her uncle drew Angel's attention back to him and they began talking about the book. After handing out the drinks and carefully avoiding any further eye contact with William, Elizabeth sat down and listened to Angel's ideas and expectations for the book.

Having had his own work published, William brought up a few pertinent queries that Angel answered quickly and comprehensively. Elizabeth was impressed with his replies and when she risked a glance over at William she saw that even he had a grudging look of respect for the man.

It was decided that the first draft should be with Angel in six months. Elizabeth mentally calculated the rate of work both her and her uncle were producing and was reasonably sure that the date could be reached without problem.

"So, have you any more pages ready that I could possibly have a look at?" Angel asked, looking at both Giles and Elizabeth. "Any notes?"

"Yes, I have some here," Giles replied, going to his desk and beginning to search through the many papers that littered it. "Somewhere."

"I have the next chapter all typed up in my office," Elizabeth revealed as she stood up. "I'll go and get it."

Angel also stood. "I'll come with you and we can have that chat while your uncle looks in here, okay?" he suggested blithely.

She nodded and picked up the empty cups and put them back on the tray. "I'll just take these out to the kitchen first."

William moved to open the door for her but, much to his chagrin, Angel was quicker, opening the door with a flourish and simultaneously throwing a smug grin in the other man's direction.

William's jaw tightened painfully and he shot the taller man an icy glare. The bloody wanker was trying to goad him.

Angel waited until Elizabeth walked past him then followed her out into the hallway. "I'll wait for you here," he informed her pleasantly.

"Okay, I won't be a minute," she replied, hurrying away to the kitchen.

William went to close the door and hesitated as he saw Angel blatantly staring at Elizabeth's retreating figure, his head tilted to the side in obvious admiration of the blonde's swaying backside. "When you've quite finished," he bit out pointedly in a low voice.

Angel turned and looked at the shorter man consideringly. He knew when a woman was off limits and by the look on Saunders' face, this one was definitely a no go. Still, he'd never let that stop him before…

"Can't blame a guy for looking," he goaded succinctly.

"Wouldn't be too sure about that mate," William retorted forbiddingly.

They stared at each other for a moment until Elizabeth walked back out of the kitchen. "Everything okay?" she asked noticing the thick tension between the two men.

"Yeah, fine," Angel informed her smoothly, his ready smile in place. "Ready for that talk?"

"Sure, my office is just here," she replied gesturing to the door on her right while looking at William with a quizzical frown.

William merely gave her an angry look then stepped back into the study and shut the door leaving her and Angel alone in the hall.

"I don't think he likes me very much," Angel commented dryly as he courteously opened the door to Elizabeth's office and waited for her to go through.

Elizabeth agreed but remained silent. She didn't want to get into a conversation about William.

They walked into her office and Angel shut the door while Elizabeth picked up the folder from the top of the pile of books she'd left it on earlier.

"Here's the next chapter," she said holding out the file.

Angel took the proffered folder and flicked through the pages inside before closing it and handing it back with a smile. "You know, what I particularly like about this book is the human aspect of the characters. Usually when we have work submitted by the learned kind of man your uncle is, we expect it to be more…text like. It was a complete surprise to find something that was so refreshing and readable which is why I'm so keen to publish."

Elizabeth blushed, wondering if Angel had guessed that she was responsible for the humanising of Giles' work. Apparently he had…

"You've made an excellent job of interpreting your uncle's work, Elizabeth. You've definitely got a gift for this kind of thing. Tell me, are you inbetween career moves right now or…?"

He let the question hang and Elizabeth felt the usual irritation that arose whenever someone made the assumption that she couldn't possibly find any satisfaction in helping her uncle. "I'm not really an ambitious person," she said curtly.

She had no intention of pretending to be something she wasn't…well, not towards Angel anyway. Not even if he was charming and looked at her in such a way that it made her wonder if her sister had actually known the effect the blouse would have when she'd bought it.

Angel was unfazed by her abrupt reply. "Even so, you've got talent, Elizabeth, and if you're ever in need of more work please get in touch with me and let me know. You'd be a godsend to a lot of our writers'."

"Oh," she replied, feeling surprised and pleased by his flattery. "That's…I'll keep it in mind."

"Good," he said simply as he walked slowly towards her. "And if you want to discuss anything more about the book then I'm more than happy to do so over dinner…say tonight at eight o'clock?"

He was close now and Elizabeth instinctively took a step backwards, her mind a whirl at the realisation that Angel had just asked her out on a date. As she moved, her hip contacted heavily with the pile of books on the edge of her desk causing them to topple forward. Angel immediately reached out and grabbed hold of her, pulling her into his arms out of the way of the weighty tomes.

"Thanks," Elizabeth said smiling gratefully as she looked up at him, her hands resting lightly against his chest.

"No problem, I save you and get you exactly where I want you," he replied with a grin as he tightened his grip slightly. "Win win situation as far as I'm concerned."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at his words and then flew to the door as it suddenly opened and William walked in. Oh God, oh God, oh God, she thought, closing her eyes and opening them again with the hopes that he was just an illusion. No way would he believe that what he was seeing was innocent…on her part at least.

William froze in the doorway and stared at the embracing couple feeling as if all the air had been sucked from the room taking his capacity to breathe along with it. In silence he took note of Angel's self-satisfied smile then watched as Elizabeth blushed and dropped her head guiltily as she awkwardly moved out of Connell's arms.

"Rupert's found those notes," he finally told Angel flatly.

The publisher gave Elizabeth a regretful look. "I'd better go but we'll talk later, okay?"

The blonde remained silent and looked over at William who refused to meet her gaze. Keeping his eyes fixed determinedly on the publisher, he waited until Angel walked passed him then followed him out closing the door softly behind him.

Elizabeth stayed where she was, feeling numb. Could his timing have been any worse? And Angel hadn't helped. She'd seen the look he'd given William and hadn't been pleased. True, the publisher was charming and very handsome but when he'd held her, she'd felt absolutely nothing.

No sudden racing of her heart; no heightened awareness of his every movement…no matter how slight; no urge to claim his lips and definitely no inclination to move further into his embrace. He was just too…big for her to feel comfortable whereas William…William was just the right size, she realised.

Recognising the way her thoughts were going, she shook her head and turned around to begin picking up the books. If she kept herself busy then she wouldn't dwell on what had just happened.

Ten minutes later, the books were neatly put away and a knock came at her door before it opened to reveal Angel.

"I'm leaving now and just thought I'd better say goodbye," he told her with an engaging smile as he stepped into the room.

"Goodbye," she replied quickly, giving him a tiny wave as she stepped back.

Angel sighed, his face dropping a little at her evasive movement. "I take it that means no dinner tonight?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, no," Elizabeth replied with a slight shake of her head.

"Tomorrow?" he tried, hopefully.

Another shake of her head. "Sorry."

A rueful smile appeared and he raised his hands up in defeated pose. "Okay, I know when to back off," he said easily. "But if you ever seriously want to do more work, then don't forget to give me a call at least, alright?"

She nodded.

"Great," he said with noticeable relief. "Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, Elizabeth and I'll ring in a couple of weeks to see how you're getting on with the book."

They said their goodbyes and Elizabeth went into the study to get the empty sandwich plates while her uncle and William saw the publisher out. She took them back to the kitchen and had just finished putting them in the dishwasher when the kitchen door opened behind her.

Her hair stood up on the back of her neck and when she turned around it came as no surprise to see that her visitor was William. One furious William if his expression was anything to go by, she realised as her heart plummeted. It was no use telling herself that he had no right to be angry…her body refused to listen.

"What is it with you?" he began as he strode up to her. "Does it give you some kind of thrill to pick up strangers? Do you get some kind of sexual kink out of it that you don't get with your fiancé? First me and then Connell!"

Without thinking of the consequences, Elizabeth's hand came up in an arc and slapped him hard across the face. His cheek reddened at the place of contact and his lips tightened into a grim line as he glared back at her.

"How dare you?" she spat, her own temper rising at his allegations. "You don't know me! Sharing my body doesn't mean that we shared emotion or our hearts or any kind of understanding."

"Then tell me," he demanded harshly as he stepped up and grabbed hold of her arms. "Tell me so I can comprehend what the hell is going on because right now you're driving me insane, Elizabeth." His voice took on an almost desperate note. "To have known you so intimately, to have felt your naked body moving under mine…knowing that you revelled in that feeling as much as I did and now to not be allowed to touch you…barely even look at you…"

Elizabeth roughly broke away from his grasp, his words conjuring up memories that she didn't want to remember lest it weakened her resolve. "There's nothing to tell," she told him harshly. "I'm engaged and you and I were a mistake. A terrible mistake that I want to forget…"

"Well, I don't!" he interrupted savagely, his anger rapidly returning on hearing her crushing words. "I've touched your skin…caressed it, tasted it…I've loved you, Buffy…"

"Loved me?" she repeated shrilly and let out a short bark of laughter. "You had sex with me, you mean." What was he trying to do to her? Why was he saying these things? Tormenting her like this when she knew all he wanted from her was to resume the intimacy they so briefly shared. Sex…but not love. She wasn't that much of a fool.

He drew in a sharp breath and narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I had sex with you," he ground out, trying to maintain a semblance of control despite the way she was reducing their night to nothing more than a cheap lay. "And now I want…"

"To use me like I used you," she interrupted bitterly. "But I won't let you. I may stupidly have once allowed you…"

"Allowed me!" he repeated in harsh disbelief as stared back at her with icy disdain. "You asked me!"

"No!" she denied.

"You begged me to make love to you," he continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"No!" she refuted even louder as she put her hands to her ears in an effort to block him out.

"You wanted it as much as I did, Buffy!"

"No, no, no," she chanted, shaking her head, her control breaking as the words hit her like physical blows.

William reached out and wrenched her hands away from her head. "Yes!" he told her forcefully as he stared at her terrified face "Yes," he repeated with soft emphasis as he released the tight grip on her wrists and took a deep, calming breath. "Buffy…I…" he broke off, suddenly silent and looked deep into her eyes.

She found it mesmeric, just like the slow caress of his thumbs as they gently rubbed little circles over the frantic beating of her pulse at her wrists. Something was happening to her. Something familiar and dangerous. Something that only William seemed to be able to set in motion.

Once before he'd made her feel like this and even though her brain cried danger, her body refused to listen. The relentless stroking of her wrist had her pulse hammering wildly beneath his touch and her lips parted and her eyes grew slumberous as memories of the one time they'd been together overwhelmed her.

William murmured something soft and inaudible deep in his throat that had her body immediately responding so that it softened and yielded, pressing eagerly against him. His hands left her wrists and lifted to entwine gently into her hair, moulding the shape of her head, holding her still as he slowly bent towards her.

She knew he was going to kiss her and she welcomed it, her hands already gliding up his chest, tracing the hard muscle underneath. Relishing the feel of his strong shoulders, she slid her arms around his neck and let her eyelids drop, lifting her face in anticipation.

The pressure of his lips was light at first but as soon as she opened her mouth willingly, he deepened the kiss. Their tongues met and caressed, sliding slowly and erotically against each other as they both gave in to the familiar sensation.

It was the sound of her uncle calling her name that brought her back to reality with a shuddering thump. Abruptly, she pulled back at the same time as William released her, mortified at what she'd just let happen.

Unable to bring herself to look at him and endure the humiliation of the triumph she knew must be in his eyes, she kept her head down. "Coming, Uncle Rupert," she called out shakily. Brushing past him on unsteady legs, she ignored the brief flare of awareness that quickly rose again at the fleeting contact and hurriedly left the kitchen.

Once outside, she drew in a deep breath and touched trembling fingers to her softly swollen lips. If it wasn't for her uncle's timely interruption, she knew she would have let William do whatever he wanted. Not only let him, she acknowledged to herself shamingly…but, she would've happily aided and abetted him.

It was a sobering and frighteningly shocking thought that she had no doubt would haunt her for a long while to come.

END CHAPTER 11


	12. What Is This Thing We're Feeling?

CHAPTER 12 - What Is This Thing We're Feeling?

Apart from Elizabeth's own personal reasons for not wanting William to be there, there was also the effect his presence was having on her uncle's progress on his book, she recognised irritably as she stared at her empty, pin neat desk. He'd been there two weeks now and Giles was spending more time with William and at the university than actually at home.

In spite of this though, she had to admit that she'd never seen her uncle look so well, he seemed to thrive on having the younger man around. Only yesterday however, Angel had rung to check on the progress of the book and she'd had to put him off with a tactful fib and yet another refusal of dinner. The man was nothing if not persistent.

Today, William and her uncle were having lunch in Cambridge and then dining with fellow dons in the evening, leaving her with the whole house to herself for the day. Although, normally, she would've enjoyed the solitude, she now appreciated it even more as it gave her a release from the constant tension and fear of running into William.

Leaving her office, she wandered aimlessly around the house until she found herself standing outside William's bedroom staring at the door.

What was the matter with her?

When William first arrived, she'd been panicked by his cold-blooded assumption that she would be a willing partner. Now, as the days passed, she found it harder and harder to cling to the shock and anger of that first day and instead, her thoughts kept returning to their initial meeting. To the feeling she'd had then that he was a man of strong character and compassion…a man with whom she could have had a lot in common. Everyday she saw another facet of his character and was forced to accept that he appeared to be strongly at odds with the impression she had gained on their second meeting.

Or was she just deluding herself? Was it just a game to him and all he was doing was deliberately trying to get her to give in? If it were just sexual, why didn't he just go and find himself another woman? She had no doubt that there would be plenty of willing women to warm his bed.

The thought of him sharing what they had with some other faceless female made her stomach roll over in distaste. Abruptly, she turned away from his door and headed downstairs wondering if William knew that his greatest ally was the traitor within herself in the form of her own responsiveness.

Then again, maybe she'd misjudged the situation entirely and he'd grown bored of the chase. Certainly, since the day he'd kissed her so passionately, he'd made no further attempt to touch her…even with the most briefest of contacts. There were times though, when she caught him watching her with an odd brooding intensity that made her feel tingly all over. But they were few and far between and as soon as he saw that she'd noticed him, his features would lighten and he'd look away.

Outwardly, William was everything she'd ever dreamed of in a man she could love. He was caring, compassionate, intelligent and the night they'd made love, he'd been so tender and gentle. It was only afterwards, in the cold light of day, that her own sense of self-revulsion at her behaviour had made her realise the folly of ever letting it happen again.

And yet, there she lay, night after night…aching for him, needing to be held in his arms.

Angry at her own weakness, Elizabeth determined she needed a little physical outlet and turned her attention to the tangled garden. Being as they'd had a couple of days of sunshine, she decided that she'd tackle a bit of weeding and phoned Willow to ask if she wanted to help. Her friend agreed as she had a couple of hours to spare and it'd been a few days since they'd last talked.

While she waited for Willow to arrive, she changed into a scruffy pair of jeans and a loose sweatshirt. When the redhead turned up, they donned some overly large gardening gloves then laid down a blanket and knelt on it to begin the arduous task of weeding while they chatted away as if they'd not seen each other for years.

"How's William?" Willow asked at one point.

"Fine," was Elizabeth's clipped reply and they spoke no more of him after that as Willow wisely changed subjects and told her of Oz's latest groupie encounter with his new band. Elizabeth was soon laughing out loud as she pictured the stoic young man trying to evade a rather persistent girl who kept asking him to sign various parts of her body, even going so far as to hide behind Willow for protection.

They were so engrossed in their chat and their work that they didn't hear the sound of William's car pulling up nor realise that both he and Giles had entered the house returning from lunch to change for the evening.

From his bedroom window, William looked down on the two friends as they laughed and chatted and wished he could see Elizabeth like that more often. She looked so happy and carefree, none of the tenseness and reservation that she usually adopted around him evident in her body language or face. A gust of wind caught her hair, whipping it around her face giving it the same tousled look she'd had the night they'd…

He found himself swallowing hard, unable to drag his gaze away from the woman sitting so far below. It had been a huge mistake kissing her that day in the kitchen and he'd regretted the action ever since…not that he could've stopped himself even if he tried, but still…

He shook his head. Pushing, Elizabeth had been wrong…the way she couldn't bear to look at him afterwards spoke volumes about how much she despised him for taking advantage and rightly so. It had been far more effective than the slap she'd given him and now…now all he'd succeeded in doing was make her withdraw further into herself, if that were possible, while making him yearn for her touch even more.

He sighed heavily. It was no use telling himself as he had done every night since he'd arrived, that she was just another Dru; another cheat…even if he were the man she'd cheated with rather than against.

For some reason he just couldn't summon the protective disgust that had helped him walk away from Dru with his self-respect, if not pride, still intact. He tried to convince himself that both Elizabeth's shock when he'd unexpectedly turned up and her determination to make it clear to him that what had happened between them was something she pretended had never taken place, showed exactly what kind of woman she was…one who could cold-heartedly cheat on the man to whom she was already committed. A woman who obviously had no qualms whatsoever in making love to a complete stranger.

And yet, no matter how many times he told himself she was unfeeling and calculating, his heart refused to listen. Continually it tormented him with images and memories of her softness and warmth; her heart-wrenching mixture of innocence and frankness; her almost loving desire to give him as much pleasure as she could as well as taking it for herself.

There was a weird kind of amusement in the fact that she was determined to believe that he was the type of man who was only interested in using her for sex. The proud way she'd looked at him when she'd told him that she wouldn't sleep with him again had touched something deep inside and he couldn't help but feel that she was almost like two completely different people.

The first was the passionate, loving woman he'd held in his arms and felt his heart and body respond to in a way that he'd never thought possible. The second was a shallow deceiver who happily made love to one man while being engaged to another.

And then, of course, there was the highly confusing fact that she'd been a virgin. Was that why she'd turned to him? Because she was afraid that her fiancé wouldn't like her lack of experience? It seemed far a fetched idea and surely, if the man loved her, he wouldn't care what degree of sexual knowledge she did or didn't possess. Certainly, if it were him…

He shook his head, ordering himself not to finish that thought. He'd been through enough emotional pain these last two weeks, no need to add to it with anymore, 'what if's'.

Down in the garden, Elizabeth and Willow stood up and stretched out their cramped muscles. "I'd better head off home," the redhead said, taking off her gloves and handing them to Elizabeth.

"Okay, thanks for all your help today. We did well," she said, looking over the small patch they'd cleared.

"We did, " Willow agreed with a smile. "I'll come over at the weekend if the weather's nice and we can do some more." She gestured to the blanket. "Do you want help putting stuff away?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I'm fine, you go. You can see yourself out, right?"

Willow said yes then gave her friend a wave as she left. Elizabeth waved back then stretched again and instinctively looked up at William's bedroom window. The shock of seeing him standing there looking down at her completely took her breath away. She had no idea that the men had returned and immediately became conscious of her messy state. Mud liberally streaked her jeans and as she touched a hand to her hair, she could feel the way wisps of it were clinging to her hot, sweaty face.

Fantastic.

And now, William was watching her. Or was he? Why did she automatically think he was staring at her? He might just have been admiring the view of the garden. Except that, deep down, somehow she knew that wasn't true. Feeling suddenly exposed and vulnerable, she hurried inside the house to have a shower and change into clean clothes. Shedding her trainers by the back door of the kitchen, she then jogged up the stairs towards her room.

Seeing her enter the house, William turned away from the window and fought the urge to go downstairs. Since their kiss, he'd purposefully taken a step back from the situation as much for her as for himself. And it'd worked…so far. He'd accepted every invitation for dinner and lunch he could so as not to be in the house where he was forever a slave to temptation.

Like now.

"Stay here," he ordered himself severely. Turning back to the window, he grabbed a hold of the sill and gripped it so hard that his knuckles turned white. A creaking from the stairs outside had his whole body immediately stiffen as he turned his head to the side in order to hear better. The noise came again and he just knew it was Elizabeth. Within seconds all his determination to remain where he was crumbled to dust as his need to see her overcame everything else. In three strides he was at the door then moments later he wrenched it open and stepped out into the hallway.

Elizabeth was just approaching William's door when it opened and he stepped out in front of her, effectively blocking her way. They both froze, each staring blatantly at the other.

"I didn't think you'd be back until after dinner tonight," Elizabeth said jerkily. "Just let me get washed and changed and I'll go down and make you both some tea."

"I can do it," William replied firmly, drinking in the sight of her.

"Okay," she acquiesced with a slight nod before moving to walk around him to her room. He stood to one side so that she could go past him and the gesture left her irritated with herself for being annoyed that he hadn't made any attempt to touch her.

Once outside her door, she grasped the handle and gave a little start of surprise when William's larger, slightly callused hand was suddenly placed over hers, firmly but gently staying her movement.

Tensely, she looked up at him knowing she should pull away but her body, once more, refused to obey. Apprehensively, she watched him lift his free hand, her breath catching for a moment as he lightly brushed his thumb across her cheek.

"Mud," he informed her softly.

From the gritty feel of her skin, Elizabeth knew he was telling the truth and flushed hotly in mortification at the picture she must present. "I've started doing some work in the garden," she told him unnecessarily.

"I know, I saw you," he said, confirming her suspicions that he had, indeed, been watching her from the window. "Weeding's very therapeutic, isn't it?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened. How could he possibly have known of the tensions and needs that had forced her outside in the first place?

His hand still rested against her face and his thumb began to stroke soothingly along her cheekbone as if sensing her inner turmoil and trying to reassure her that everything was alright. It wasn't a sexual touch by any means but, starved of any kind of physical contact from him, Elizabeth's body immediately responded to the light caress like dry timber to a flame.

William felt her tremble and his grasp tightened around her hand, lifting it from the handle and carrying it palm upwards to his lips. His brain was yelling at him to stop this madness before he got hurt any further but being so near to her and not touch her was an impossibility…especially after enduring two weeks of self-inflicted abstinence.

Elizabeth knew that he'd felt her tremor, but luckily the other, more betraying evidence of her desire was hidden under the heavy fabric of her sweatshirt. Only she knew how her nipples had puckered and tightened, pushing eagerly against the soft cotton of her bra in desperate need. A need that increased at the sensation of William's mouth moving sensuously against her palm, his tongue flicking out to touch the frantic pulse at her wrist in an erotic act that had her bones turn to jelly.

Legs shaking, she wanted nothing more than to sink to the floor and just dissolve so that she could be absorbed into him and be a part of him forever.

And that's when she knew.

Despite how much she'd tried to deny it to herself and him, she'd somehow managed to fall head over heels in love with William.

Her whole posture went rigid as her brain desperately tried to reject the idea one last time but to no avail. She simply had to face the fact that she was in love with a man who'd made it more than clear that he only saw her as a convenient body.

"Buffy," he suddenly breathed, rousing her from her discovery.

She looked at him with wide eyes and jerked her hand from his grasp. "I-I have to get changed," she said pulling out of his reach. "I have to speak to Uncle Rupert. Angel called about the book today."

Immediately William's expression altered, his mouth thinning, eyes cooling and becoming watchful as jealousy rose quickly within him at the mention of other man's name. "Does he know you're engaged yet?" he asked curtly. "Or are you going to tell him after you've shagged him?"

It was a cruel, uncalled for remark as William knew very well; just as he knew that it was her apprehensive look that had sparked it. He hated that she seemed afraid of him. What did she think he'd do? Force her to go to bed with him? His stomach turned in revulsion at the thought. Didn't she know that would be the last thing he'd ever do? Couldn't she tell that he…?

He what? He thought bitterly as she let out a choked sob and fumbled with the door handle until it opened and she went into her room. That he was in love with her? Impossible! How could he be when she was everything he despised in her sex…just another Dru…

He halted mid-thought then closed his eyes with a groan. How many more times was he going to try and tell himself that? Wasn't it time that he got honest with himself and just admitted that he was completely, totally and irrevocably in love with Elizabeth and had been since the night they'd first met?

Opening his eyes, he ran a hand through his hair and listened to the sound of crying that came from the other side of the door. That was his fault and his heart ached at the knowledge. Letting his hand drop, he took the couple of steps to her door then reached for the handle and turned it slowly.

Inside the room, Elizabeth paced up and down restlessly, allowing the tears to fall as she tried not to dwell on what William had said. How ironic that the moment she realised her feelings for him, was the moment he chose to remind her exactly what kind of man he was.

How dare he suggest such a thing? Did he really believe she would…? She bit her lip as more tears came. Of course he did. And why not? As far as he was concerned, she cheated on her fiancé with him. Naturally he'd think she'd happily bed Angel as well.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she sniffed and let out a sigh before crossing the room to her window. Staring out at the garden, she knew that she'd never been so confused in her entire life. At night, she was tormented with memories of tenderness and sharing so strong that she couldn't believe it was all an illusion. Then, in the cold, harsh light of day, she was forced to accept that she was nothing more than a one night stand…because, really, if she'd meant anything to him at all then he would've tried to find her, of that she was certain.

Feeling suddenly drained, she fervently wished herself a million miles away from William and all her heartache. But, as that wasn't going to happen, she knew she had to face the damming truth that in spite of everything, if William still actually chose to try and persuade her to go to bed with him, she wouldn't be able to refuse him. And now she knew how she really felt about him, the pain of making love with someone who didn't return it would truly break her heart in two.

The sound of her door opening behind her had her spin around and draw in a sharp breath as she saw the man she loved standing framed in the doorway.

Oh God, this wasn't good.

Elizabeth watched him enter the room and shut the door before walking closer until he stood in front of her. Staring at him nervously, her heart picked up its rhythm in a fierce combination of exhilaration and fear at the realisation that they were alone in her room.

William took in her tear-streaked cheeks and silently cursed himself for bringing her such pain. Who the hell had he turned into? Jealousy had never been a big part of him until now and it was a side of him he didn't like at all. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he said contritely. "What I said to you just now was uncalled for and I apologise."

If her had walked in and announced his undying love for her, Elizabeth couldn't have been more shocked. An apology was the last thing she expected from him and it managed to confuse her even further. What kind of man was he really? Who was the real William? If she could answer those questions then she was sure that her life would be a hell of a lot simpler.

"Thank you," she replied stiffly as she folded her arms across her chest in a defensive posture. Now, more than ever, she needed to distance herself from him lest she succumb to a temptation that she knew she'd never forgive herself for.

She turned her back on him and continued her perusal of the garden hoping that he'd take the hint and leave. He didn't. Instead, he stood behind her silently as if waiting for her to do or say something else. She could see him in the faint reflection of the window…close, but not quite touching, and the longer he stayed quiet, the more her nerves stretched taut.

Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she turned around and demanded shrilly, "What, William?! What do you want?"

William regarded her calmly and then took a step even closer, causing her to back up against the window. "You know what I want, Buffy," he told her softly, her pet name coming out as a soft caress. "I want you."

END CHAPTER 12


	13. Love Hurts

CHAPTER 13 – Love Hurts

Elizabeth stood and stared at William knowing it was futile to pretend shock or outrage…not when she'd inwardly known what kind of response she'd been prompting.

His eyes bored into hers showing a flame of desire that even she couldn't ignore and she was certain that the temperature in the room had risen a few degrees, making her even more conscious of her already sticky state.

With him so close in front and the window at her back, she was beginning to feel uncomfortably hemmed in and found herself fighting the urge to gasp for air. Drawing her arms even tighter around her self, Elizabeth broke eye contact before she lost herself completely in his heated gaze and blindly pushed away from the window in an attempt to put some distance between them.

In two steps she was level with him and then he moved. Turning swiftly, he grabbed hold of her shoulders in a tight grip. Automatically, her arms unfolded and she placed her hands flat against his chest as he tried to draw her closer.

"No, don't William…I-I'm engaged," she reminded him, in a desperate attempt to stop him from leaning in to kiss her.

William stilled and remained silent for a moment before saying brusquely, "So you are. I wonder what your absent fiancé would say if he knew you and I have made love."

The blood drained from her face as the shock of his words hit her and she looked back up at him, her expression one of hurt. For a second she felt sick and then somehow found the strength to say huskily, "I don't want to talk about it William, and if you think you can blackmail me into sleeping with you…"

"Blackmail you!" William exclaimed aghast, not believing what he was hearing. His grip in her shoulders tightened painfully as he tried to hold himself back from shaking her stupid.

If Elizabeth had not known better, she would've sworn that he was genuinely horrified but she ignored her need to make excuses for him and added harshly, "Don't try to deny it! You've made what you want from me clear from the moment you got here. Just because we've made l…had sex once, it doesn't mean it's something I want to repeat." She drew in a breath and looked at him as coldly as she could. "In fact…I-I didn't even enjoy it the first time anyway," she lied before dropping her gaze once more. Surely that she do it, she reasoned desperately. No man liked having his sexual expertise called into question, did they?"

William listened to her words in amazement and bit back the sudden compulsion to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of her statement. She might not want to make love to him right at this moment, but there was no way she didn't enjoy every minute of it that night in his car…he'd stake his life on it.

Staring at her averted profile, he saw the way her pulse beat frantically at the base of her neck and subdued the impulse to imprison it with his mouth and hold it imprisoned until he felt all the restraint leave her. Instead, he decided to turn her obvious lie to his advantage.

"So," he began quietly. "You didn't enjoy having sex with me as much as you do your fiancé, right?"

"No," she agreed, swallowing hard. "But the difference is I love him while you…you…"

"Were just convenient," he nodded agreeably. "I know."

His light tone had her looking back at him curiously and she was surprised to find that he didn't appear to be angry by what she'd said. In fact, his face held no expression whatsoever and for some reason that worried her far more than if he'd lost his temper.

The grip on her shoulders lessened slightly and he tilted his head to the side as his gaze warmed up again once more. "I'm sorry you didn't enjoy that night, Buffy," he said softly. "Because I certainly did."

Heart beating rapidly, Elizabeth blinked slowly at his admission and her arms relaxed enough that he could inch a little closer to her.

"I liked it very much," he continued in the same low voice that seemed to have a paralysing effect on her limbs. "In fact, these last two weeks I've been wondering what it'd be like to make love to you on a nice, comfortable bed rather than the hard cold floor of a car." A hand left her shoulder to brush some of her hair from her face as his voice continued to weave its spell. "To be able to see you as well as touch you."

Her arms were lax now and he moved both his hands to her waist and pulled her unresisting body gently to him, her form shuddering slightly at the contact.

"I'm sorry you didn't share my pleasure in our lovemaking," he murmured against her ear. "I'd like you to…"

His lips moved caressingly over temple and down her cheek as his arms tightened their hold about her person to urge her closer still. The tension within Elizabeth felt like a piece of metal breaking in two. Half of her yearned to give into his touch and simply melt against him. To wrap her arms around his neck and turn her face to seek out his mouth with her own, to get rid of his shirt and run her hands over his smooth skin, desperate in the need to feel everything she had before…and more.

While the other part, the part of her that knew she was being used, just wanted to push him away and run like hell.

His hand cupped her face and turned it gently while his lips feathered lightly along her jaw, his tongue darting out to trace the line to her chin and up. "You taste of sunshine and fresh air," he whispered against her mouth, the vibration sending tiny tremors of excitement through her entire body. "Let me taste all of you, Buffy and show you how much pleasure I can really give to you."

Her body trembled under the sexual onslaught of his words and his mouth hardened over hers as he drew her in for a heated kiss. As his arms enclosed her even tighter in his embrace, she became aware of his evident arousal and found that the feel of his erection against her belly fuelled her own rising desire.

Of their own volition, her arms entwined around his neck as he kissed her as she'd dreamed of ever since the day he'd arrived. His hands moved up to tangle in her hair, his body hard and urgent against her as his mouth demanded a response. She felt him move and then she was lying on her bed with him pressing her into the mattress, his hungry mouth never leaving hers for a moment.

He moved experimentally against her, the action stimulating her body further so that her breasts swelled and tightened within their cotton confines. All at once, the memory of the exquisite sensation of his mouth tugging at her nipples flared bright in her mind and she began to press back into him eagerly in response.

William felt his self-control snap at the way Elizabeth's body yielded so easily to his and he wondered if she knew what she was actually doing to him. Breaking off their kiss, he pulled his hand from her hair then eased it between their bodies and roughly cupped her breast through her sweatshirt.

Beneath him, Elizabeth gasped then let out a moan of pleasure and shuddered wildly as he found her nipple and grazed his thumb across it again and again until she wanted nothing more than to drag his head down to her chest and feel his mouth there instead.

As if reading her mind, William left off his ministrations to grab the hem of her top and impatiently push it upwards to expose her chest to his lustful gaze. Remembering how she'd felt in his mouth and how she'd reacted to him, had him crazy with need to experience it again, making him forget everything he promised himself about not pushing her again. Pulling aside one cup of her bra, he exposed her breast and licked his lips in anticipation of the delights he was about to indulge in then dipped his head to her chest.

Eyes closing, Elizabeth arched her back in silent supplication, digging her nails into William's shoulders in sudden ecstasy of the heat of his mouth as he wasted no time with teasing, instead sucking hard on her breast. The cool air of the room, his warm mouth and the fierce sound of gratification he made mingled together making her realise that there was nothing she wanted more at that precise moment, than to make love with William.

Nothing.

Her breath caught as his teeth scraped against her sensitive nipple making her shudder and dig her fingers into his still clothed form even harder…wanting him, needing him…loving him…

Her eyes snapped open at that and as quickly as her desire had flared, it went away leaving her with a feeling of hollow emptiness. What was she doing?

The night they'd met, she'd allowed her reality to be blinded, caught up in the mystery of the moment but now it was different. William wasn't a stranger any longer. She knew him and knew exactly what he did and didn't want from her…knew how little this actually meant to him…

Tears rose unbidden to her eyes and she bit her lip in an effort to stop the sob that desperately wanted to be released from her throat. This was wrong…so wrong. She couldn't make love to him now. Not without it destroying her completely.

William released her breast and covered it with his hand as he moved up to nuzzle lovingly at her neck. Hearing a small sniffle, he stilled and belatedly realised that her body had gone tense beneath him. Raising his head, he felt his heart contract painfully as he saw she was crying. "What's wrong?" he asked in tender concern.

Too distressed to lie, she whispered brokenly, "I can't do this, William. Please don't make me."

She began to tremble and he frowned slightly as he removed his hand then gently recovered her bare chest and tugged her sweatshirt down in the hopes that it'd help her calm down somewhat. "Is it because of him?" he asked huskily, watching her face. "Your fiancé?"

Elizabeth looked back at him blankly for a moment, wondering what he was talking about but then remembered and blushed. "Yes," she fibbed, then paused and felt compelled to add honestly, "But even if I weren't engaged, I couldn't." She drew in a breath and stared at him bravely. "I want you, William, but I can't have a relationship that's based purely on sex. It'd never be enough." She looked away briefly before looking back at him and continuing. "You turn me on…we both know that…and I've tried to pretend it isn't true, tried to resist this…this…physical thing we have between us, but I can't do it. Not without your help." Her watery eyes opened wider in desperate appeal. "Please, William, will you help me? If I make love to you now, I-I'll lose whatever's left of my self-respect…I…"

She broke off with a harsh sob and William was stunned at the intensity of the emotion that filled him. He had wanted her, desired her…almost hated her at times, but now he felt nothing but admiration for her; such compassion and love that he couldn't stop himself from lifting a hand to her face and gently running his fingers down it trying to both soothe and comfort her at the same time while attempting to convey, without words, all he felt for her.

"I understand," he said quietly. "You want me physically, but you're in love with someone else." He gave her a half smile. "I never meant to pressure you into making love with me, Elizabeth. Last thing I want is for anything that happens between us to rob you of your self-respect. I just hoped…" He stopped then sighed heavily as he looked away and eased himself off of her to sit up.

There was no point in telling her how he felt now. She'd made it clear when she'd said that she didn't want a relationship based purely on sex that she felt nothing more than a physical attraction to him. He wasn't stupid enough to pour out his heart to a woman who would do nothing but trample it in the dust. He did still have some pride left amongst all the heartache.

He got up and looked back down at her. She was still trembling, her eyes large and dark in her pale face. "I'm sorry about saying that I didn't enjoy our lovemaking before," she told him hesitantly. "I-I was frightened and needed to protect myself…"

"Shhh, " said William silencing her as he shook his head. "It's forgotten. And you don't have to worry, Elizabeth, I'll keep away from now on, okay?"

There was so much pain in her eyes as she nodded slightly in response that William felt as though he just wanted to gather her up into a hug and hold on to her forever. Forcing himself to move away, he walked to the door mentally raging against her fiancé. What kind of man was he? Didn't he realise what his uncaring treatment was doing to her? She needed him here, not in America.

Opening the door, he cast one last look at the woman who lay huddled on the bed and resisted the inclination to go back. Determinedly walking out into the hallway, he shut the door behind him and slumped heavily back against it.

"Bloody hell," he muttered as he stared blankly ahead of him. After Dru, he'd told himself that he'd never make the mistake of falling in love again. That he'd never expose himself to that kind of pain, that kind of anguish a second time and yet here he was. Except that now, William recognised that what he'd felt for Dru had been infatuation and when she'd cheated on him, his pride had been bruised but not his heart. But this…what he felt for Elizabeth…this went far beyond anything he'd ever felt before.

With a slight snort of derision, he pushed away from her door and headed to his own room. Apparently the old saying, 'love hurts', was true. And he was feeling every single twinge it decided to send him. Entering his bedroom, he began to get changed for dinner that evening and thought back over the past couple of months since he'd first met Elizabeth.

In hindsight, he knew he should have realised what was happening to him then. His anger and disappointment when all his enquiries had come to nothing were good indications that his desire to find her again was because of more than just a sense of responsibility for taking her virginity.

Her virginity.

He stopped buttoning up his fresh shirt and frowned. That was a piece of this puzzle that he'd probably never find out the solution to now. Why, when she loved this other man so much, had they not been lovers? Somehow he didn't think that she'd take kindly to him asking her outright but it was still a question he'd dearly like an answer to.

Shaking his head, he finished dressing and called himself an idiot. It didn't matter why. The simple fact was that she loved someone else and he just had to deal with it. When he'd believed that she was just another Dru, it had been easier to cope with, but now he knew better. There had been no mistaking the genuine confusion and pain in her voice when she'd told him that she wanted him and what that feeling was doing to her. He'd never expected such honesty and it'd effectively compelled him to listen where all her other protestations would have likely fallen on deaf ears.

Truth was, people did not fall desperately in love between the space of one heartbeat and the next and they certainly didn't go on to consummate that love without any of the preliminaries that normally preceded such intimacy. Only he had, and although he was still reeling from the shock of it, he knew for certain that he loved her and would've done no matter how many fiancés she had.

xxxxxxxxxx

In her room, Elizabeth sat up shakily and attempted to quiet her still trembling body as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened and the fact that she loved William. Not just needed him or wanted him or desired him…but really loved him, with everything in her.

He'd been so gentle, so understanding and caring when she'd told him how much it'd cost her to make love to him again, that it was as though her perception of him had suddenly been wiped clean of all the misconceptions and fears she'd deliberately nurtured within herself – and in doing so, she'd truly recognised, for the first time, exactly what a good kind of a man he was.

It was a very humbling experience to realise that her body and senses were far better judges of character than her brain. They had recognised within William…a complete stranger…something for which they'd yearned. Some essential goodness of nature, a basic generosity of heart and mind that they'd instinctively reached for that her brain had refused to acknowledge.

If only she hadn't lied, if she'd just been honest with him right from the start, if… She paused in he mental musings and shook her head despondently. No. The lie didn't matter anyway. He'd proved that by not refuting her claim that what they'd nearly shared was merely just sex and that told her very clearly, exactly how he felt.

He didn't love her so wasn't it better just to leave things alone now? He'd promised to keep away and the look he'd given her had echoed the truth of that statement.

At the end of the day, one night with him she could pass off as a moment of weakness. Embarking on a relationship where she had feelings and he didn't was complete insanity. What would happen to her when he left? She'd have to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart, shard by shard, and hope that she could put them back to together in some kind of semblance of what it had once been.

Ever since she met him, all her dreams of marriage and children had started to shake on their foundations…did she really want to have them fall down completely?

Because they would. If she let him in, she just knew nothing and no-one could ever compare in the future. And that's what scared her the most.

She may hurt now, but in the long run, her heart would get off lighter and she would heal…not completely…but enough to go on and forge some relatively happy life for herself with someone else.

Eventually.

xxxxxxxx

William left his room and went downstairs only to encounter Giles coming out of the kitchen. The other man was about to say something when the phone rang. "Come in a minute while I just get this, William," he invited as he headed for his study.

William trailed slowly after the older man, mentally trying to pull himself together. From the doorway, he saw Giles answer the phone and immediately stiffened when he heard his colleague greet the caller.

It was Connor. Elizabeth's wayward fiancé.

"Wanker," he muttered under his breath as he unashamedly listened to Giles' half of the conversation.

"Yes…yes…she's upstairs I believe. Do you want me to get her? No? Yes, I can give her a message…okay…fine, I'll let her know…goodbye, Connor."

By the door, William felt his ire begin to flare against the faceless man on the other end of the phone. The bastard couldn't even be bothered to talk to her in person. There Elizabeth was, denying everything in her, confused and alone and all her waste of space fiancé could do was leave her a bloody message. What an absolute tosser.

"That was Connor," Giles informed William conversationally as he replaced the phone on its cradle and scribbled something down on a pad. "He's engaged to my niece, you know?"

William nodded curtly and tried to relax the grim set of his mouth enough to speak. "Yes, Elizabeth had mentioned it," he managed to grind out as his stomach churned unpleasantly at the realisation that she'd now told her uncle her good news. More protection, he thought unhappily.

"Oh, did she?" Rupert queried as he walked over to the younger man. "Yes, well, it's hardly surprising I suppose, she's extremely excited by it all."

William stood back so Giles could pass then followed him to the front door. "I can imagine she is," William offered quietly. "Not every day you get engaged, is it? I just hope it works out for them."

If Giles heard the flatness of William's tone then he showed no knowledge of the fact as he replied, "Oh, I think it will. They seem very attached to one another, young love and all that." He gave the other man a smile as they left the house and walked over to his car. "In fact, I don't think I can recall a time that I've ever known her to be so happy as when she's with him."

Starting up his car, William pulled away from the house and tried to smile back at his friend. Even if he'd still doubted Elizabeth's feelings for her fiancé after everything that had transpired between them, he couldn't have denied the truth of what Giles was telling him now. Why couldn't you just tell me that he's a complete burke and you hate him? he thought to himself unhappily.

Unaware of William's inner turmoil, Giles changed the subject to one of work and chatted blithely on. William welcomed the diversion and entered into the conversation with as much enthusiasm as one man who'd just had his heart completely shredded to pieces could muster.

END CHAPTER 13


	14. Unannounced Guests

CHAPTER 14 - Unannounced Guests

Five days after Elizabeth realised her feelings for William, she set off to Cambridge to do her usual weekly shop. Being that it was Saturday and he was free, William had offered to go with her but she'd refused. True to his word, he hadn't made any further advances towards her, except of a friendly nature, and she was finding that more of a strain than his previous actions.

William watched her go wishing there was something he could do to ease her still obvious tenseness…wishing he could find some magic potion that would make her stop loving Connor and love him instead.

It seemed so unfair. She liked him, she desired him, but she loved someone else and no matter how much he lay in bed at night aching for her, he wouldn't use that physical attraction to undermine her anymore. Not when she'd begged him not to.

He went into the kitchen to get himself a drink when Giles entered the room carrying an overnight case that he put on the floor. "Going somewhere, Rupert?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, yes, actually," the older man stammered uncomfortably as he removed his glasses and began to clean them furiously. "I've just remembered that a…a friend is in town for a couple of days and I…uh…I'm going to meet up with them and s-stay over for the night."

William watched the other man in amusement and was delighted at the blush that rose on his cheeks when he asked nonchalantly, "A female friend is it?"

Giles replaced his glasses and nodded. "Er…yes, actually…my friend is a woman," he admitted, unable to meet his colleague's eyes for more than a second at time.

"Good for you, Rupert," William said with a smile. "Enjoy yourself tonight then."

Giles reddened further then cleared his throat loudly and picked up his bag. "Thank you." He glanced around the room again then back at William. "Have I missed Elizabeth?" William nodded and Giles sighed. "Would you mind telling her that I shan't be home tonight?"

William nodded again and Giles turned to go then paused and looked back at the younger man. "You know, William, maybe you and Elizabeth could make use of this time alone tonight to…uh…get to know each other a little better," he suggested awkwardly.

William's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed into a frown. What the hell was he saying? "I think know Elizabeth fairly well already, Rupert," he replied slowly.

Giles looked as if he were going to say more but then nodded and smiled slightly. Maybe he'd been wrong about the chemistry he'd thought he'd seen between the two. Heaven's knew he wasn't an expert on the subject of romance. "Of course," he agreed amicably. "See you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, goodbye," William responded absently, still frowning at the other man's implications. What an odd thing for him to say. It was almost as though he were trying to suggest that he and Elizabeth…

But that was ridiculous! Just a few days ago he was stating how happy she was with her fiancé.

Drink forgotten, William shook his head and decided he must be wanting Elizabeth so much now that he was beginning to read too much into the most vaguest of things. Obviously it was a side effect of his nightly frustrations and so he decided to make himself useful while getting rid of some of his excess energy and cut the grass as he'd promised Elizabeth he would.

As it was a relatively warm day, he jogged upstairs and entered his room then dug around in his wardrobe until he pulled out an old pair of black jeans and a black T-shirt. Donning them, he went downstairs and out into the garden to mow the lawn.

He was barely halfway through when there was a crunch from the mower and then a loud grinding noise. William switched it off then turned it on its side to see that the blade had caught on a stone and broken. With a tut of annoyance at the machine, he walked off to unplug it from the mains then came back and knelt down to begin removing the snapped blade. He hadn't got very far when he heard the sound of a car pulling up on the gravel drive out front.

Checking his watch, he saw that it was still too early for Elizabeth to be returning from shopping and wondered if Rupert had forgotten something and come back. Standing up, he brushed the excess dirt off his hands before heading around the side of the house to investigate. As he rounded the corner, he came to a stop when he saw a reasonably tall, young woman getting out of a silver Vauxhall Vectra.

"Hi," she greeted with a friendly smile on her pretty face. "William, right?"

William stared back at her, confusion clouding his features that this stranger should know his name. "Yes," he replied slowly.

"I'm Dawn," she introduced herself brightly. "Elizabeth's sister."

William's eyes widened slightly at recognition of her name. Giles had mentioned that he had a second niece called Dawn who enjoyed travelling around the world but he'd not really gone into any detail and William had never pressed as his interest lay with the older man's other niece.

"Hello," he greeted then looked over to the car as a movement caught his eye and a tall, brown-haired young man got out of the driver's side.

Dawn followed his gaze then smiled sweetly at the young man and held out her hand towards him. "This is my fiancé…Connor."

She wasn't looking directly at William as she made this announcement, something for which he was extremely grateful because he was certain he must have been looking at her as if she were mad.

Later, he would reflect on the irony of how a huge, life changing revelation such as this would come to light in such a quiet, ordinary way. So ordinary in fact, that he seriously doubted his hearing for moment, because if Connor really had just been introduced as Dawn's fiancé and not Elizabeth's, it would've surely been accompanied by a fanfare of epic proportions, wouldn't it?

Not this strange light-headed, buzzing that he was experiencing, that was so loud in his own ears that he only vaguely heard Dawn say something about only having got back to England the night before and deciding to pay a surprise visit to her uncle and her sister.

"Are they inside?" she asked pinning him with her gaze again.

William stared blankly at her for a second before his brain finally processed her words. "Um…Rupert's away for the night visiting a friend and Elizabeth's out shopping," he supplied falteringly, knowing he sounded almost nervous but unable to do anything about it.

He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the man standing at Dawn's side. This was Connor. The man that he'd mentally raged about, envied completely and hated with a vengeance. The man who, he'd thought, was standing between him and the only woman in his life he'd ever truly loved.

The man who had just been introduced as the fiancé of said woman's little sister.

The friendliness of Dawn's initial greeting slowly faded, cool scrutiny appearing in its place as she saw William staring dazedly at Connor who was shifting uncomfortably under the other man's gaze. "Is there a problem?" she asked sharply.

Numbly, William shook his head as he desperately tried to get a grasp on the situation.

"You're engagement," he blurted out suddenly, needing clarification that what he'd heard the first time was real. "How long…I mean, when did you…?"

Dawn frowned at his question, wondering why he looked so shaken. This didn't appear to be the composed and intellectual man that Elizabeth had described in detail during their weekly phone calls with each other. "Connor and I got engaged at Christmas," she told him coolly.

"Christmas?" William repeated dubiously. "But…I don't understand," he muttered to himself as he looked down at the ground briefly before raising his eyes to Dawn once more, his eyes narrowing slightly as he clarified harshly, "And Elizabeth knows about this?"

Dawn looked puzzled at the line of questioning he'd suddenly taken and nodded her head. "Of course she does. She helped us celebrate at mum and dad's a few weeks ago." She paused then added impatiently, "Look, I'm sure there's a reason behind all these questions, but really, jet lag's setting in and I just want to see my sister, so, do you know when Elizabeth will be back?"

"Back?" William echoed absently, his mind still reeling from the shock of what Dawn had unknowingly just revealed. Connor was frowning at him and he could tell that the other man didn't like the way he'd been questioning Dawn but there was so much here that just didn't make sense. So much that was muddled and confused and yet through it all, one thing was slowly becoming blatantly clear…

Elizabeth had lied to him.

Hard on the heels of that realisation was a surge of anger so intense that he had to clamp his mouth shut in order not to let out the string of expletives that rose to his lips lest he alienate Dawn and Connor even further.

Swallowing down his ire, his mind rapidly flew back over the last three weeks of his stay and suddenly William began to see things in a new light. Gile's not so subtle hint just that very morning. Elizabeth's own admission of desiring and wanting him but not acting on it for fear of losing her self-respect. She was trying to protect herself, she'd said. Couldn't have a relationship based purely on sex…

His heart tripped suddenly. Was that really her telling him she didn't love him, as he'd automatically thought…or had that been her thinking he didn't feel that way about her? And if so, did that mean that she did, in fact, love him after all?

Or was he finally having a mental breakdown and all this was merely a hallucination brought on by his frustrated desire having actually fried his brain?

He swallowed hard. Just the possibility that Elizabeth might feel the same as he, was enough to deflate his anger as quickly as it had arisen and allow hope to flare brightly in his chest.

Maybe he was just kidding himself, but what if she'd been going through the same agony as he? What if she'd realised she'd fallen for him on that first night but refused to acknowledge it, just as he'd done, thinking that it wasn't possible?

He heard his name being called and blinked rapidly as he focussed his attention on Dawn again who was staring at him with a concerned look. "You okay?" she asked with a slight frown. "You've gone a little pale and you keep fazing out on us."

"Sorry, I'm fine," he replied quietly then paused and looked from Dawn to Connor and back again as an idea began to take shape in his mind. An idea that he realised would need their help to come to fruition.

Naturally, after his recent little interrogation, he was sure that convincing them would be easier said than done, but, much as he hated the idea of discussing his private feelings and personal life with someone else, there was too much at stake for him to risk losing Elizabeth now that he suspected she might just love him in return.

"Listen," he said quietly to them both. "I know this may sound weird and I haven't really been…" He paused as he searched for the right words.

"Totally sane?" Dawn suggested dryly.

"Welcoming," William amended with a small smile before adding seriously, "But I really need to talk to you both before Elizabeth comes back."

He saw the look of concern that darkened Dawn's gaze and the way Connor's hand tightened supportively around hers and hurriedly reassured her, "No, nothing's wrong. Elizabeth is fine. It's just that…look, why don't we go inside? I'll make us all a drink and then we can talk."

xxxxxxxx

Half an hour later, Dawn was staring at him with a deep frown marring her pretty face. William had just finished telling them about his meeting Elizabeth that snowy night, his subsequent attempts to trace her and the joy of finding her again only to have it dashed when she'd lied about her engagement.

"I love her and I think she loves me," he finally told them with a sigh as he openly admitted his feelings. "But there's been so many misunderstandings and misconceptions between us…" He lifted his hands in mute explanation of the complexity of the situation. "If I went to Buffy now and told her I know she lied about her engagement and then tell her how I feel about her, I doubt that she'd believe me. She'll just think I'm saying it to try to get her back into bed. I don't think she's got the self-confidence to trust either what she feels…or me. I need to get closer to her, to win her trust and I think I know the way." He paused and looked at them appealingly. "But I'm going need your help."

The engaged couple glanced at each other for a moment before they turned back and Connor said, "Go on, we're listening."

While William talked, Dawn and Connor paid rapt attention. Once or twice Dawn interrupted, questioning him sharply, but slowly her reticence evaporated and amusement took its place. "I'm not sure I should be agreeing to this," she told him, once they'd both promised to help. "And if you hadn't assured me that Buffy won't get hurt…"

"If she hadn't lied to me in the first place then none of this would be necessary," William pointed out, his tone grim. While he thought he could understand what had motivated Buffy, the thought of all the unhappiness she'd caused them both by her creation of a fictitious fiancé made him angry enough to believe that a little revenge of his own wouldn't do her any harm.

He stood up and took the empty mugs on the table over to the sink. Dawn joined him there and touched his arm to get his attention. "You do love her, don't you, William?" she asked seriously.

William stared back at her, his eyes conveying the truth of his words and depth of his feelings as he replied, "Yes, Dawn, I do." He gave her a slight smile. "I wouldn't be doing any of this otherwise."

The dark haired girl studied him a moment longer then smiled back and nodded. She prided herself on being a good judge of character and his sincerity and love would have been obvious to a blind person. She felt the last of her trepidation slip away deciding that her sister was a very lucky woman. "Good," she said at last. "I'm glad she's finally found someone like you, William. I think you'll make her very happy."

She walked off and William let out a heavy sigh hoping against hope that Buffy would give him a chance to prove her right.

END CHAPTER 14


	15. The Games People Play

CHAPTER 15 - The Games People Play

Cambridge was busy, the supermarket hot and crowded and Elizabeth managed to pick the queue where every single customer in front of her seemed to have a problem. After paying for her purchases, she wheeled the trolley outside and welcomed the cool breeze that wafted across the parking lot as she headed for her car. She loaded groceries into the trunk then returned her trolley and set off for home.

The journey took longer than usual due to roadworks causing hold-up's and by the time she turned into her uncle's drive, she was feeling extremely frazzled, longing for nothing more than a relaxing sit down and hot drink.

She pulled up next to the silver Vectra and frowned slightly at the sight of the unfamiliar car wondering who had come to visit. Dismissing it as probably being one of William's colleagues from the university, she got out and opened the trunk to retrieve some of the shopping.

Deliberately, she picked the heaviest box of groceries and a couple of reasonably weighty bags for good measure, just to add to her already unhappy state of mind of being badly done by and headed towards the house.

Putting down the bags, she opened the door then picked them back up and entered the house kicking the door shut behind her. She heard the sound of voices coming from the kitchen and felt a spark of annoyance that she was carrying a heavy load and no one…well, William…had bothered to come out and help.

She walked into the kitchen and pulled up short as she discovered her sister, Connor and William all laughing together like best friends as they sat around the table drinking tea. Their heads all turned at her entrance and the obvious amusement on their faces at the sight of her struggling with the too-heavy box had her fighting the petulant impulse to hurl the thing at them and then burst into tears.

Something in her face must have conveyed her feelings as, suddenly, they all stood up and hurried forward with the obvious intent of relieving her of the purchases. Feeling dwarfed by height of the people coming towards her, she failed to be grateful for their assistance and snapped peevishly, "It's alright, I can manage! I mean, I have carried them all the way in from the car on my own."

She saw Dawn's eyebrows lift and felt herself redden guiltily. There wasn't any reason for her to take her bad mood out on anyone else.

"You should have come in and got William to carry those for you," her sister said chidingly. "I mean, what's the use of having a fiancé if you don't get them doing the fetching and carrying for you?" She turned to Connor and smiled sweetly. "I definitely make you work hard, don't I sweetie?"

Connor's reply was lost on Elizabeth as she let go of the box, barely aware of the fast way William moved to catch it, and stared at her sister in confusion. "Fiancé?"

William?

What on earth was Dawn talking about? And what was she doing here anyway? And with Connor…Connor?

Oh. My. God!

Connor!

She'd been so wrapped up in feeling sorry for herself that it was only at that precise moment that the realisation of the situation hit her. Eyes widening, her face drained of all it's colour and her jaw dropped as the appalling comprehension washed over her that William must now know the truth…that she wasn't, nor had she ever been, engaged to Connor.

The rush of tears to her eyes was instantaneous and she bravely fought to keep them in check, blinking rapidly so as to clear her distorted vision as best she could while she contemplated the very good idea of running away.

William turned from dumping the heavy box he'd caught, on the table and immediately saw her obvious distress. Recognising the signs of someone about to bolt, he pushed aside his compassion and sternly told himself that what he intended to do was in the best interests of them both.

Steeling himself against the urgent impulse William had to simply take her in his arms and kiss away the tension, he summoned a casual smile and walked slowly over to her. Once within touching distance, he reached out his arm and put it around her waist before she could move away.

Ignoring the rigidity of her body, he pulled her close to his side and gazed down at her adoringly. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm afraid I've already broken the good news of our engagement to your sister," he told her in an apologetic tone. "I didn't think you'd mind under the circumstances." He flicked a meaningful glance in Connor's direction before looking back down at her bewildered countenance.

Elizabeth froze as she tried to get a grip on the reality that she felt was starting to rapidly slip away from her. Why had William told Dawn that they were engaged? Surely he must have figured out that she'd lied to him? So why was he spinning tales and looking at her with warmth and affection radiating from those wonderful blue orbs instead of confronting her with the contempt and disgust she more than deserved?

A sudden crazy desire to burst into a peal of hysterical laughter threatened to overcome her but she forced it back when William moved her towards the table and pushed her gently, but firmly, down into a chair. "Poor darling, you look exhausted," he said, the epitome of concern. "Just sit there while I make you a nice cup of tea."

As soon as he moved away, she tried to stand up but, for some reason, Connor and Dawn had materialised on either side of her like a pair of jailers, she thought to herself irritably.

"I don't want…" Elizabeth began, only to be interrupted by Dawn who excitedly started chattering about how wonderful it was that she was engaged and what a dark horse she was not telling her own sister.

Elizabeth found herself staring down at her left hand in bewilderment, as though half expecting to see an engagement ring materialising there. If she closed her eyes and opened them again, would everything have returned to normal, she wondered dazedly as she heard Dawn then talk about the possibility of having a double wedding.

"No," she finally roused herself enough to protest. "Not a double wedding. Look, Dawn…"

"I agree with Buffy," William suddenly spoke up, cutting off whatever she was going to say. "Besides, you haven't set a date yet and Buffy and I hope to be married in June."

"In June!" came the twin incredulous cries of both women.

Knowing that Dawn was just playing her part, he pretended that he hadn't heard Elizabeth and focussed on her sister. "I know," he said heaving a heavy sigh as he produced an indulgent smile. "Six weeks isn't long to plan a wedding but I can't wait to make Buffy my wife and as she always wanted to be married in June, who am I to deny her?"

"Oh, that's so sweet," Dawn gushed, smiling happily at first William and then Elizabeth as she added, "You are so lucky to have him."

Elizabeth stared back dumbly at her sister and then someone…Connor, she thought…handed her a mug of tea which she gulped thirstily as she struggled to comprehend what was going on and when everything had suddenly got so out of hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry darling," she heard William say contritely and turned wide eyes towards him as he appeared at her side and draped his arm possessively around her shoulders. "I never asked if you had any luck finding a dress today." He looked over at Dawn and, to Elizabeth's stunned horror told her confidingly, "She's refusing to wear white, the silly thing." He dropped his gaze back to Elizabeth's and added in a low voice, "After all, nowadays and feeling the way we do about each other…" He trailed off and gave her a look that could've burned holes in metal, leaving no one in the room with any doubts whatsoever as to the intimacy of their relationship.

Elizabeth found herself locked in his gaze and placed the mug down on the table with a thump as her insides turned to complete mush. Swallowing hard, she found herself almost believing that the burning, melting look of desire was actually real and not just fabricated for whatever reason he alone knew.

And then, the moment was gone and William was talking about the dress again, saying that she preferred something in cream. Dawn responded enthusiastically and Elizabeth realised that her hands had curled into tight fists as she fought the urge to let out a very long, very protesting scream.

Everytime she attempted to say something, William would either cut her off or Dawn would come up with something else to do with the 'wedding' to excitedly talk about.

Frustration setting in, her head started to ache and she couldn't quell the feeling she had that she'd just strayed into the scene of an extremely surreal play where everyone, apart from her, knew their lines.

She just couldn't understand why William wasn't demanding to know why she'd lied about being engaged to Connor and, most of all, she really, really couldn't understand how she'd supposedly become engaged to William!

Engaged to William.

A shiver ran through her system at that notion and William's grip on her shoulders tightened slightly. He looked down at her and fought the urge to just pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and take her to bed until she finally admitted everything. He paused a moment in that thought and decided that if she hadn't confessed her deceit by that evening then it was a definite back-up plan.

"Buffy, we were wondering if we could stay here a couple of days," Dawn said, drawing all eyes to her. "We want to have a look around so that when Connor's parents come over we can give them a few pointers on where to visit. William said he didn't think it'd be a problem." She pulled a face then added wryly, "If it's okay with you though, we'd prefer to share a room. I appreciate that living here with Uncle Rupert makes things a little awkward for you, but really, I don't know how you and William put up with sleeping apart. Still, I guess all that running up and down the corridor and sneaking into each other's room must just add to the excitement…"

She ignored Elizabeth's gasp and turned to her fiance. "You go and get the bags and we'll meet you at the top of the stairs." Looking back over her shoulder to her sister, she grinned slyly. "Connor and I can't wait to have a little nap. You know how jet lag is," she told her with a wink.

Connor walked out of the kitchen and Elizabeth realised that this could be her opportunity to finally get a chance to speak without interruptions and ask Dawn what the heck was going on.

Unsteadily, she rose from her seat only to find that William was suddenly standing right in front of her. Head down, she tried to step past him but he moved as well so that she ended up walking straight into him. Her head jerked up at his sudden contact and his arms automatically rose to steady her…so she'd thought. Instead, they closed around her and she felt herself lean into his warm, familiar embrace…the fresh smell of grass on his clothes mixing with his own purely male scent succeeding in making her head swim with instant arousal.

One of his hands moved up under her hair to cradle the back of her neck where it proceeded to gently stroke the tension from the tightly coiled muscles there. She felt his breath against her hair and then her ear as he bent his head to murmur, "Meet me in the garden and I'll explain."

The thought that there was actually an explanation for this nightmare scenario was promptly cut short when he pulled back to softly press his lips to her temple before placing a further lingering and far more devastating kiss against her lips.

Elizabeth was breathless by the time his mouth broke contact with hers and she stared up at him dazedly.

"I'll get on and fix the mower while you show your sister to her room, okay sweetheart?" he said lightly, his face betraying none of his own fierce arousal. Without waiting for a reply, he turned away and went out into the garden.

Once outside, William drew in a sharp breath and let out a low groan as he walked slowly over to the broken lawnmower while surrepticiously adjusting the front of his pants. Damn! He swore that woman could get him hard just by glancing at him. Dropping to his knees, he began to fiddle with the blade and recalled Elizabeth's stunned expression at his casual announcement of their engagement.

He was still justifiably angry with her and even though he loved her dearly, the idea of using her own deception against her was too good an opportunity to pass up…especially for the small part of him that wanted to watch her suffer a tiny bit for all the misery she'd caused.

All he wanted was for her to accept, as he had, that there was nothing shameful or wrong in their lovemaking that night. Once she did that, he figured that the rest would automatically follow.

Sure, they had a lot of talking to do and he didn't for one minute expect to gain her trust overnight. That was something he knew they both had to work at and he was prepared to do that. However long it took.

No…the first step was her willing admittance of her deceit. Once that obstacle was out of the way and she realised he wasn't going anywhere, they'd be able to put all their stupidness behind them and finally move on.

xxxxxxxx

Still reeling from the intensity of their kiss, Elizabeth stared after William as he walked out of the door and into the garden.

"Aw, you two are so cute," Dawn observed on a sigh and then added brightly, "Come on, show me where we can crash."

Elizabeth turned to see her sister already leaving the room and roused herself enough to follow. She caught up with Dawn at the foot of the stairs and, as they went up, the brunette started to babble about how she suspected something was going on because of their chats over the phone. Not that Elizabeth had said much about William…it was more of what she hadn't said that had alerted Dawn.

Elizabeth was shocked at what she'd unknowingly portrayed to her sister, unaware that Dawn was using a little poetic licence of her own in helping to maintain William's ruse. However, the sight of Elizabeth's pale, drawn features caused Dawn to have a small pang of compunction. Her sister had already suffered once by loving a man and she didn't want to continue this charade if her sister didn't love William as he hoped.

Pausing on the stairs, she caught hold of Elizabeth's arm and smiled warmly at her sister as she turned to face her. "You know, I like William and it's obvious that he's absolutely besotted with you but…" Dawn paused, her face growing concerned. "It's just…you look so tense and you've hardly said a word. You do love him, don't you, Buffy?"

Elizabeth gazed back at her sister's kind face and knew this was her chance. Her chance to say that she had no idea what was going on and that she and William most definitely not engaged.

This was her chance…

So why wasn't she grabbing it with both hands? Why, instead, was she she replying quietly, but oh, so truthfully, to her sister, "Yes. Yes I do love him. Very much, but…"

"I've got the bags, honey," Connor suddenly called up from the bottom of the stairs, having just walked in from outside.

"That's great, sweetie, come on up," the brunette urged with a smile before turning back to Elizabeth. "What were you going to say?"

Elizabeth stared at her for a moment knowing that she wasn't about to say anything with Connor around. She really didn't want to see his face if she admitted to purloining him…albeit in name only. Somehow, she didn't think that would go down so well. Besides, William had said he'd explain and she decided that she'd see what he had to say first before making any rash decisions. Especially since a rash decision had got her into this mess in the first place!

By the time they reached the top of the stairs, Connor had joined them with the bags and she showed them both to one of the two remaining spare rooms. Leaving them there to settle in, she hurried downstairs and into the kitchen.

Looking out the window, she could see William kneeling by the lawn mower and drew in a deep, steadying breath before exhaling slowly and heading outside to find out exactly what was going on.

END CHAPTER 15


	16. The Tables Are Turned

CHAPTER 16 - The Tables Are Turned

Elizabeth walked over to William, determination clearly written on her features and in the stride of her step. He didn't look up at her as she approached but it was obvious that he must have heard her because he casually said"This blade is an awkward bugger to get off."

Elizabeth couldn't stand it any longer. "William, what's going on" she demanded abruptly. "Why does my sister think we're engaged"

William stopped working on the mower then looked up at her as he slowly stood and wiped his dirty hands down the back of his jeans.

She looked up at him and noticed that he flicked a glance over her shoulder before focussing back on her. Taking a step, he moved closer to her and she immediately went to move backwards only to have his arms snake out around her body and capture her in a firm embrace. Hands running possessively down her back, her urged her so intimately close against his body that she was left in doubt of his evident need.

She tried to ease away from him but, in his desire to maintain contact with her, William wouldn't let her go. Instead, he leaned in and brushed his lips against her ear as he softly told her"Your sister is watching us."

Instinctively, she tried to turn her head but William's hand came up to cup her cheek then gently turn her face back and hold it still while his mouth moved hotly over her skin, searching almost desperately for her lips.

When he found them, he didn't kiss her gently as he had done before, nor lightly in the way she'd been expecting. Instead, it was with a depth of such thrilling need that she could do nothing but succumb to it immediately. Her arms locked around his neck and her body melted into his as it had been aching to do for the past few days. Her lips parted invitingly, clinging to the firm outline of his, while all the time his hands moved eagerly and caressingly over her body making every part of her aware of how much his touch aroused her.

The kiss seemed to go on forever. Each time she managed to find the strength to break free of him, his mouth would move to caress some other part of her throat or face. Then, having sensitised that area to the point where she thought she couldn't bear it any longer, he'd move back to her lips as if magnetised by them. Each kiss, each caress had her sink deeper and deeper into the whirlpool of pleasure he was spinning around her.

Lips never leaving hers, she felt him lift her off her feet and automatically wrapped her jean-clad legs around his trim waist, pressing herself harder against him with a soft moan. William broke the kiss and she felt him trail down her throat to the curve of her breast that was becoming increasingly exposed to the cool air as he deftly undid the buttons of her pale blue blouse.

She tried to protest, tried to tell him to stop, but another, stronger feeling overrode everything she'd been about to say as his lips inched ever closer to her aching nipple. Head dropping back, she gasped as his tongue darted out to dip under the lace material of her bra and arched eagerly towards him. Her breathing grew heavy as she clasped the back of his head and urged him on so that she could once again feel the sweetly agonising sensation of his mouth caressing her so intimately.

Just when William was within mere millimetres of his goal, she felt him pull away then gently ease her away from him as he lowered her unsteadily to the ground. Elizabeth let out a little whimper of protest and frustration and it took her a few seconds to realise that he was tugging the sides of her blouse together and trying to do her buttons up with hands that were blatantly shaking.

Trying to get her breathing under control, she looked at him in confusion as her brain attempted to comprehend that he'd actually stopped.

"It's okay. She's gone now" said William, silently cursing the unevenness of his voice and the way he couldn't get his hands to work properly. He hadn't expected her to react as quite as eagerly as she did. Sharing a few heated kisses had been his plan and it had taken every ounce of his willpower to stop.

It was several seconds before his meaning sunk in and when it did, Elizabeth was mortified. He was talking about Dawn! Turning bright red, she wrenched herself away from him then looked down at her half open blouse, her own fingers trembling as she desperately tried to finish fastening her buttons as quickly as possible. "What's going on" she asked angrily, conscious that her voice was shaking almost as much as her hands.

There was an odd silence and when she automatically looked up, she saw that William looked as flushed and breathless as she felt.

"I would've thought that was obvious" he finally replied tersely. "I wanted to make love to you."

For a single moment, Elizabeth stood there and allowed the sweet, wild joy of his admission wash over her but then she dammed it and retorted harshly"I didn't mean that! I want to know why you told Dawn that we're engaged."

Finally getting his unruly body back under a modicum of control, William managed to adopt a mildly surprised look. "What" he queried, as if he'd completely forgotten about the whole thing and then added carelessly"Oh that. Well, it seemed like the best thing to do at the time." He tilted his head slightly as his gaze softened and his voice gentled. "I did it for your sake, you know."

It was Elizabeth's turn to be surprised. "My sake" she questioned with a puzzled frown.

William nodded. "Well, yeah. As soon as your sister walked in and announced that Connor…your Connor…was her fiancé, I guessed straight away what must have happened" he told her quietly. "I suppose they came here the tell you they'd fallen for each other and to ask you to let Connor out of his engagement to you." He sighed and shook his head. "I have to say, I thought it was a bit off of her to just casually introduce him as her fiancé like that." He shrugged and looked rueful. "Perhaps I shouldn't have jumped in the way I did but…and I know this may be hard for you to hear, Buffy…he just didn't seem all that ashamed about switching his affections like that, you know? And all I could think of was how you were going to feel when you came home and found out that he'd dumped you for your own sister."

While he spoke, William had taken hold of her hand and begun caressing it gently, and yet, so arousingly that she could hardly concentrate on what he was saying. Her senses were screaming out to her that they needed far more than the deliberately provocative stimulation they were receiving. That they wanted his hands on her body…his mouth…

With enormous effort on her part, she tore herself from her erotic yearnings and tried to listen to what he was telling her as he continued to speak.

"Anyway, I guess I just went on instinct really. I was angry on your behalf and before I knew it, I was telling them that you and I were engaged as well. You know, show him that your engagement meant as little to you as it obviously did to him. Although, naturally, I didn't let on that I knew about Connor and you…and to be honest, he never mentioned it either…didn't say much of anything actually."

William paused and Elizabeth stared at him speechlessly. This was the last thing she'd ever imagined. After everything that had happened between them…all the things she'd said; William had wanted to protect her…to help her.

God, how the tables could turn. One minute he was her nasty little secret and the next he was her champion…even if she didn't actually need one.

The urge to just tell him the truth came out of nowhere and she opened her mouth to do exactly that, but stopped at the last moment as she remembered how she distressed she'd felt when she initially thought he'd already learned of her deceit. She was certain that once he knew, he'd hate her and that was something she just couldn't bear to live with. Besides, what was the point of admitting anything when he was going to be leaving soon anyway? Why make her life any harder than it already was?

"I have to say, you've taken it very well" he suddenly commented lightly. "I half expected that you'd come home and throw yourself into his arms before I had a chance to say anything. You must feel like hell."

That was true, she acknowledged ruefully, although not for the reason's he thought.

William sighed again and, tongue firmly in cheek, added mock sympathetically"And after you've struggled so hard to be faithful to your engagement as well."

Elizabeth swallowed hard at that, her eyes widening as she opened her mouth to say something…anything. "I…"

"Of course, you won't think so now, but in the long run, this is probably for the best" William cut across her in a comforting tone. "Just imagine if he'd left you for her after the wedding."

The wedding.

Suddenly, anger pulled Elizabeth out of her internal ramblings as she remembered something far more important than her fake engagement and supposed broken heart over Connor. "What on earth possessed you to tell Dawnie that we're getting married in June for God's sake" she demanded bitterly.

William released her hand and held up his arms in a gesture of defeat as he produced a look on his face that was somewhere between shame and embarrassment. "I'm sorry, okay? Don't ask me how, but she managed to drag out of me that we'd been lovers and, well, to be quite honest, after that I didn't have much option. Being your sister, I'm sure she knows of your high morals and I know Connor would've told her that you and he had never slept together so…"

Elizabeth was so annoyed that she almost missed the significance of what he was saying but when she did, she felt as though she'd turned to stone. "Connor and I…" she began then trailed off weakly.

"Well, you didn't, did you" William clarified reasonably. "I did think at first it must be because you were frightened he might find you inexperienced and that was why…"

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the word 'inexperienced' and felt the blood drain from her face. Oh God. She did not, must not, ask how William knew she'd been a virgin…she didn't think she could bear to hear his answer. Especially if he told her she'd been terrible.

"…and then when I saw him with Dawn and they said that you'd all been together around the time we first met, it all made sense. Connor had obviously been having second thoughts about your engagement and I'm guessing that you, not getting the attention you deserved, felt undesirable and that's where I came in." William smiled slowly at her, his eyes roaming down her body before flicking up to her face again as he added flippantly"You know, being convenient and all."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open at his last remark as she vainly tried to protest his use of her own words against her. "I…you…" she stammered out then suddenly stopped and shut her eyes, taking a deep breath as she attempted to absorb the several shocks that she'd received in such a short space of time.

This was awful. Absolutely awful.

She needed time to think and she couldn't do that when he was standing so close. Hearing William's take on the situation was…surprising, to say the least, and her guilt factor over her deceit steadily rose another few notches.

Putting a hand to her head, she exhaled on a long sigh and rubbed her temple gingerly before opening her eyes to calmly say"This is a lot to deal with, I…I think I'll go back inside." Desperately hoping that this were - please God - a nightmare, she turned to go.

"Yeah, it's not every day you lose one fiancé and gain another" William observed with a slight chuckle, apparently oblivious to her feelings. The look of misery she shot him over her shoulder had him falter for a moment and he felt himself relent slightly as the smile dropped from his face. "I thought you'd be pleased" he told her in a hurt tone that stopped her in her tracks and had her turning back to him in disbelief. "I mean, I know how you feel about your self-respect and I know what it's like to discover that the person you love has broken their engagement to you." He paused then added quietly"Same thing happened to me once."

He had her attention now. Her shocked gaze locked with his and he drew in a long breath as he began to speak.

"It was a long time ago and I was a young fool" he explained, his tone devoid of any emotion. "I believed that Dru…that was her name…truly loved me. Truth was, what she really loved was my parent's money that she knew would eventually be mine."

He let out a harsh, self-depreciating laugh and looked away, not wanting to see the pity in Elizabeth's eyes when he added bitterly"It wasn't until I found her in bed with someone else that I realised how little our engagement…how little I actually meant to her." He shook his head then lifted his gaze to Elizabeth's once more as he added grimly"I know only too well what the humiliation of losing someone you love is like, Buffy. I'm sorry if I handled this situation with Connor badly. I only wanted to help."

With his revelation, Elizabeth suddenly clearly understood the reasoning and purpose behind his actions. He was simply trying to help her save face and walk away from her 'engagement' with some pride in tact.

She sighed heavily and tried to decide which pained her the most; the jealous knowledge that William had loved and probably still did love, someone else or the awareness of just how amazing a man he was to have thought of her and acted so quickly to save her from being hurt.

Unfortunately, what William didn't realise was that he had far more power to hurt her than Connor would ever have and in 'helping' her, he'd actually caused even more appalling problems for her to deal with.

Shaking her head at how life could be so ironic at times she then determinedly focussed on the pressing issue at hand…how on earth was she going to explain away to Dawn the ending of their engagement?

Especially since her sister knew they'd been lovers and also knew, by her own damning admission, that she loved William.

Her head began to pound in earnest and she resisted the urge to rub her temples once more only to have William step forward and take hold of her hand again.

Head tilting slightly, he gave her a warm smile as his thumb rubbed soothing circles over her wrist. "Look, it's not the end of the world" he told her cajolingly. "The fact of life is that, unfortunately, engagements are always being broken."

Elizabeth frowned, his attempt at comfort rankling her. "Not within a few weeks of the wedding and not when the two people are supposed to be so madly in love with each other they can barely keep their hands of one another" she snapped, her nerves feeling dangerously close to breaking point. "And certainly not when one of those two people is me! Dawn knows that I…" She broke off and groaned loudly. "Oh God! She's probably on the phone to Mum and Dad right now" Her eyes widened in panic. "What if she's telling them to book the church up for us"

William's eyebrows raised and he stilled the movement of his thumb as he stared back at her quizzically. "Buffy…I was talking about your engagement to Connor" he clarified softly.

Elizabeth stared back at him, her face suddenly flushing intensely. She'd been so caught up in somehow convincing Dawn that she didn't love William after all that she'd completely forgotten about her fake betrothal to Connor.

Suddenly, it was all too much for her and, despite the fact that she was twenty-four years of age as well as being a mature woman who never gave way her emotions but kept them firmly locked up…she let out a cry of frustration and unceremoniously stamped her foot!

"Forget my engagement to Connor" she exclaimed pettishly. "How the heck am I going to explain to Dawn that you and I aren't getting married"

If he hadn't seen the sheen of tears in her eyes, William might almost have burst out laughing. His self-controlled, stubborn, beautiful Buffy was suddenly showing him very clearly just what he had to look forward to when she and he produced a daughter. He couldn't wait!

"Oh, don't worry about that" he dismissed casually. "We'll think of something." Releasing her hand, he turned back to the mower and crouched down seemingly once more absorbed in trying to work the blade loose. "Oh and while I remember, Rupert's staying at a friend's tonight so he won't be home."

As he finished speaking, the blade finally came off and he let out a small cry of triumph as he held it aloft for her to see. "About bloody time" he said with a grin before standing up again. "Best get this fixed so I can crack on and cut the rest of the lawn."

Without another word, he turned and walked away to the shed, leaving her to stand and stare after him in barely restrained anger. Letting out a loud huff, she stormed back into the house muttering to herself about how her well-ordered life had become a shambolic mess in mere weeks.

In the shed, William dropped the blade in a bin before looking out of the window in time to see Elizabeth march angrily into the house. Letting out a chuckle, he shook his head and searched for a new blade.

So far, he was keeping her just enough off kilter that she wasn't getting the chance to think about things, merely react to them, which is what he wanted. No longer concerned about using her own emotions against her to gain an advantage and, being that all was fair in love and war, he was happily planning a full-on assault.

xxxxx

Going out to the car, Elizabeth bought in the rest of the shopping and busied herself with the task of unpacking the food and putting it away.

Glancing out the window, she saw that William had returned to the mower and was fixing the new blade with a bright smile on his face. The fact that he seemed so completely at ease while she was so on edge made her want to grab the nearest large object and throw it at him. Hard.

It was all very well for him, she groused internally…it wasn't his sister who believed they were passionately in love and on the verge of getting married.

Moving around the kitchen, she put the food away shutting the cupboard doors with more force than necessary, gaining a grim satisfaction from the loud bangs they produced. One thing was for certain, she reasoned unhappily as she finished her chore, there was no way the day could get any worse.

END CHAPTER 16


	17. The Time For Truth - Part I

CHAPTER 17 - The Time For Truth – Part I

Elizabeth was in hell.

Complete and utter hell.

Not only that, but a brown-haired, chiselled cheek boned, blue-eyed Devil was actually sitting right next to her giving her soft smiles and tender looks while his evil hands constantly reached out to entwine with hers or brush an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.

And those lips; those wicked, wicked lips that were too soft to be real, just kept on murmuring endearments and planting gentle kisses on her temple…her cheek…her mouth, until she began to have a hard time remembering it was all a deception.

Her optimism that things couldn't get worse rapidly changed as the rest of the day and evening turned out to be a continuation of the nightmare that began when she walked in and discovered that she was engaged to William.

At nine o'clock, unable to stand it any longer, she announced truthfully that she had a headache and was going to bed. Playing the ever-dutiful fiancé, William immediately stood and went with her.

She climbed the stairs as quickly as her rigidly tense body would allow, tripping on the last step in her haste to get away from William. Naturally, the last person she needed touching her at that moment, reached out and put his hands around her waist in order to steady her and she nearly fell again as she jerked violently away from his touch.

"Only trying to help, love," William told her in an aggrieved tone.

"Then go back down stairs!" she snapped as she walked away to her bedroom.

His raspy chuckle at her retort sent duel tingles of awareness and aggravation up and down the last of her nerves. Reaching the end of her tether, she got to the door of her bedroom then turned on him like a cornered cat. "Look, you've made of show of being the doting fiancé in front of my sister and Connor but there isn't an audience now so just go away and leave me alone!"

With that, she went into her room and slammed the door in his face with such force that it made her head throb even more. Turning, she collapsed back against the door for support and let out a harsh cry of frustration.

All evening he'd been attentive and lover-like, so that her nerves were stretched to breaking point with the effort of controlling her own responsiveness to him. Even now, outside her door, if he'd taken hold of her and kissed her as he had done in the garden earlier, she had no doubt she would've betrayed exactly how she felt about him.

She didn't know how much more she could endure. Keeping her love for him in check when she could maintain a physical distance between them was one thing, but now, with him so determined to play the amorous and adoring fiancé, it was becoming nigh on impossible as he seemed determined to touch her every chance he had.

Deciding that she really, really needed to speak to her sister, she'd waited for an opportunity to arise to speak to her alone but, to her continuing frustration, none ever presented itself. Admitting defeat, she'd come to bed and resolved to have a talk with Dawn first thing in the morning and try her damnedest to convince her that she'd lied about her feelings for William before hopefully persuading her to cut her trip short. The sooner they were gone, the sooner William would leave her alone and she could hopefully retain a small part of her sanity…and her pride.

She ran a weary hand over her face and sighed heavily. Her skin actually felt hot and tender with a feverish craving for the intimacy of his touch. Her body ached with tension and desire, her brain clouded with emotion and need.

Going to her bedside cabinet, she pulled a pack of headache tablets from the top drawer and then went into the bathroom. Taking two of the pills, she had a quick wash then went back to her bedroom and changed into her favourite silky nightslip. Turning off the main light, she then climbed into bed and settled down, her body slowly relaxing as the tablets took effect and she gratefully succumbed to sleep.

xxxxxxxxx

"Is she okay?" Dawn asked in concern as soon as William entered the lounge.

"Well, she's ticked off as all hell, but I expected that," William replied with a wry smile as he sank down onto the couch.

Dawn let out an unlady-like snort and shook her head. "I'm not surprised the way you were all over her. Even Connor and I aren't that bad and we're for real."

William chuckled. "What can I say…I'm naturally affectionate."

Dawn looked horrified. "You mean that when you get together we'll have to put up with that all the time?"

"All the time," William confirmed with a grin, pleased at how Dawn seemed to expect things to work out.

Dawn grinned in response then looked over at Connor as he stood up and excused himself to go to the bathroom. The young man bent and gave Dawn a quick kiss before he exited and when she looked back at William she saw him grinning unabashedly back at her. "Okay, okay, we're just as bad," she allowed with a roll of her eyes.

"Wasn't going to say a word," he told her innocently.

Dawn gave him a look then sat forward as her expression softened. "You know, I have to admit that I wasn't completely convinced about your plan," she divulged quietly. "But seeing Buffy's reaction to you, even if she is fighting it, makes me realise that I haven't seen her like that with a guy since old Poophead Parker."

The last was said with such disdain that William immediately frowned. "Who's Parker?" he asked in a clipped tone.

"Poophead Parker," the brunette corrected him with a grimace. "He was the jerk who Buffy dated in college when we were in America. She fell for him hard and I know that for a while there she really believed they'd end up getting married."

Despite the fact that he'd already started to suspect that the reason Elizabeth was so fiercely determined to keep a tight control on her emotions was due to a man in her past, William couldn't help the pang of jealous hurt that coursed through him at hearing it confirmed. "What happened?" he asked flatly.

Dawn's expression grew angry. "Buffy found out that the only reason he was dating her was to sleep with her. He even had a bet going with half the college to see how long it'd take him."

"He what!" William exclaimed, so aghast at that piece of information that it brought him involuntarily to his feet. Trying to sleep with her was bad enough, but betting on it?

He started to pace. "Oh God," he muttered to himself as he shook his head in disgusted disbelief as he imagined how Elizabeth must have felt to have all her hopes and dreams ruined in such a callous and heartless manner like that. What a bloody wanker that Parker was. Good job there was an ocean between them otherwise he didn't dare think what he'd do if the bastard lived over here.

"Yeah, well, I'm not quite sure what happened after that really. All I know is that she dumped him pretty quickly and it wasn't long after that that Uncle Rupert offered her the chance to take a year out and help him." She shrugged. "She took it and has been here ever since."

"Well, for that I'm grateful to the git at least," William all but growled. "Buffy might never have come here otherwise and we'd not have met. His loss, my gain and if he was too stupid to realise what he had when he started dating her, then he's an even bigger prat than I already think he is."

Dawn's gaze softened on the man who'd won her sister's heart as he stood there obviously distressed over what she'd just revealed. If nothing else, his reaction to her revelation alone would've been enough to convince her of the depth of his feelings. He was completely in love with Buffy and he still didn't know for sure if she felt the same…but Dawn did and she suddenly felt bad for not telling him sooner.

"She told me she loves you, you know," the brunette remarked quietly, as if she wasn't aware that she'd just handed him everything he'd ever wanted on a silver platter.

William halted mid-pace, the hand that had been running agitatedly through his hair dropping uselessly to his side as he slowly turned to face the young woman. "What?" he asked faintly, his expression one of total disbelief.

Dawn gave him a small smile and nodded. "Buffy…she said that she loves you…very much."

William's eyes widened at the conformation and his posture relaxed slightly as he swallowed hard. "She did?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Dawn nodded, her smile widening at the look on his face. "And I even gave her the opportunity to deny everything but she didn't take it."

William was having trouble comprehending what he was hearing. Yes, he'd suspected…hoped…that Elizabeth loved him in return, but to hear that she'd actually admitted it to her own sister…

He frowned suddenly as a thought hit him. Had she just said that to continue the façade or did she really mean it?

Dawn watched in fascination as his expression changed from wonderment to doubt and couldn't help but let out a tut of disgust as she realised that despite all of his seeming bravado, William was just as insecure about everything as Buffy was. Shaking her head, she stood up and went to stand in front of him.

"Buffy meant what she said, William," she told him firmly when he finally made eye contact.

"How can you be so sure?" he replied with half a smile as his gaze practically begged her to say something to convince him once and for all.

And in two words, Dawn did. "Her eyes," she told him simply.

William blinked, then very, very slowly, a huge grin began to bloom on his lips. "Her eyes," he repeated almost to himself as he weighed the relevance of Dawn's words. The truth of Elizabeth's love for him had been reflected in her eyes when she'd talked to her sister. He hadn't been wrong, she did love him…she did!

Dawn gave a little squeak of surprise as she suddenly found herself engulfed in a big, tight hug by William. "Air," she gasped in a strangulated voice as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh, sorry," he apologised, immediately relinquishing his hold and stepping back. "Just…it's nice to have it confirmed, you know?"

"I know," said Dawn, grinning back at the obviously happy man. "Now all you have to do is get Buffy to admit it to your face and you're home free."

"I will," he assured her with renewed confidence as his expression became determined. "I'm not going to lose her now."

xxxxxx

Elizabeth was pulled from her restless sleep by the sound of someone urgently saying her name. Groggily, she forced her eyes open and reached over to flick her bedside lamp on noticing from her alarm clock that she'd only been in bed for forty minutes. Frowning, she pushed herself up to a sitting position as her foggy brain tried to focus on the source of her disturbance.

Her stomach gave a little lurch when she realised it was William and he was standing in the open doorway of her bedroom.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" he whispered in concern.

"Wrong?" she queried, her mind still clouded with sleep. Giving her head a little shake, she blinked rapidly in order to dispel the last vestiges of her tiredness and froze as she registered the fact that William was inside her room now, silently closing the door and shutting them in together in a dimly lit, warm cloak of intimacy.

"You cried out just as I was passing by your door," William lied as he slowly walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. He hadn't planned on doing anything further tonight, but learning of Elizabeth's true feelings had made him impatient to hear the actual words from the woman herself. He just hoped he wasn't going to be disappointed. "I guess it's Dawn and Connor, isn't it?" he continued sympathetically. "I should've expected this. "Poor Elizabeth…I know just how you feel."

Elizabeth seriously doubted that. He was, she recognised from his damp curling hair and loosely tied bathrobe, on his way to his bedroom from the bathroom. Glancing down at his bare feet, she realised that he was probably wearing very little under the robe apart from a rosy glow and that comprehension managed to effectively chase away all remaining remnants of sleep.

As he settled himself by her side, she caught a waft of the fresh male scent of soap that clung to his newly clean form and involuntarily found herself leaning forward slightly to breathe the aroma in more deeply.

Realising what she was doing, she drew in a sharp breath and jerked back as she turned her head away.

"Oh, come on, have a good cry if you want to," William offered comfortingly and before she knew what was happening, he'd stood up, shed his robe and had climbed in the bed next to her.

Mortified that he'd mistaken her reaction to him for distress, Elizabeth could do nothing more than gasp out his name as he gathered her into his arms and pulled her close against his naked body.

"Shhh, I know," he soothed as he tucked the covers in around them. "You just let it all out."

"But I'm not upset," she protested, trying to hold herself away from the tantalising smoothness of his bare skin next to hers. "And you shouldn't be here," she added, trying to win the battle within herself to not succumb to her own desires.

"Come now, Buffy, no need to put on a brave face in front of me," William told her in kindly. "And you don't have to worry about me being here. I know you love Connor and I completely respect your feelings." He paused, then added succinctly, "Besides, it's not like it's the first time we've slept together, is it?"

Slept together? He intended to sleep here? With her? Oh God! She couldn't let him do that…she just couldn't. So why was she not saying something to put a stop to it? And why was her traitorous body moulding itself to his so unresistingly?

Because it knew this was where she really wanted to be, she realised resignedly. Weeks of being constantly on her guard with him chipping away at her defences coupled with the day of intense emotions she'd just endured had left her resistance at an all time low. Never mind what her brain said, her body knew the truth and it was determined to ignore her mental struggle completely and grab control.

"Mmm, this is nice, isn't it?" he murmured softly as his hand began to draw lazy circles on her back.

Nice? That certainly wasn't a description she'd use, Elizabeth thought dizzily as she desperately tried to resist the lulling effect of his gentle hands. Wonderful? Unquestionably. Dangerous? Definitely. But nice? Not even close.

"There's something just right about the way you feel in my arms, Buffy, do you know that?" he continued, his voice dropping a seductive octave. "It's like we fit." As if to prove the point, he wriggled even closer, diminishing what little space there was between them to nothing.

Elizabeth swore she could feel every hard inch of his body now. Not a part of her seemed to remain untouched as she lay flush against his muscular form. Eyes closed, she was taken back to their one night together, back to how it felt having his body cover hers…move against hers…be inside hers.

"William," she groaned as she made another futile attempt to put some distance between them.

He lifted his head and looked down at her, and, if that slight movement somehow meant that every inch of his skin where it met hers dragged ever so gently and erotically against her in a way that made her tremble with arousal and need, she prayed that only she was aware of it.

Apparently she wasn't though, for the next minute William leaned forward and moved to cover her body. Immediately, she lifted her hands to push against him, knowing that if he succeeded in kissing her, she'd be lost for good. Although she didn't dislodge him, the movement was enough that the lamp on her bedside table that he'd been reaching for was knocked to the floor with a loud thud as his arm jerked.

"Calm down, I was just leaning over to turn off the light," he told her with a frown.

"Oh!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I thought you were going to try…" she stopped and bit her lip feeling suddenly embarrassed.

"Try and what?" William queried softly before shaking his head slightly at her continued silence. "I'm sorry, Buffy," he began in a regretful tone. "But I'm not going to make love to you if that's what you were thinking, so please don't ask. I can't, not knowing you love another man."

Elizabeth was speechless. Don't ask him? A surge of annoyance ran through her at that. How dared he assume? She had no intention of doing any such thing. She took a deep breath and then another in order to let him know of his misconception when she discovered that the gentle friction of her lace covered breasts against his chest had stimulated them to such an extent that they actually seemed to be pushing against the solid wall of muscle as though deliberately trying to incite a response from him.

Apprehension weakened her anger and she once more discreetly tried to pull away from him as she bit back a heavy sigh.

All that panic when William had first arrived here. All the problems which had now arisen from her defensive lies about being engaged. All her self-contempt and soul-searching anguish on believing that William wanted to establish a relationship with her based purely on sex…and now here she was, lying by his side, aching for him to make love to her while he, very clearly, had no reciprocal feelings whatsoever.

How terribly ironic!

"For heaven's sake woman, just lie still and go to sleep," William ordered with a pretend yawn as he tried to control his own body's reactions to her persistent wriggling. "You'll feel better in the morning."

Better? Did he really not know what he was doing to her? Of all the stupid, insensitive, thoughtless…Men!

"William, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I really think that…"

A sudden knock sounding on her door followed by it opening wide stopped her from finishing her sentence as both she and William looked over to see who had walked in.

"Dawn!" Elizabeth cried in mortification as she saw her sister come to an abrupt halt two steps into her room.

The brunette's surprised gaze turned speculative before a mischievous smile began to appear on her face. "Oops, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," she said, beginning to move backwards to the door. "I heard a bang and was worried that you'd hurt yourself Buffy, but I can see that you're in…good hands." With that, she bade them both a good night and left the room.

Elizabeth stared at the closed door, blankly. From the way Dawn acted, it was obvious what her sister thought she'd interrupted and her face flamed at the fact. How was she going to convince Dawn that William meant nothing to her now when she seen them in bed together with her very own eyes?

She let out a long sigh as everything of the past few months seemed to suddenly bear down on her shoulders making them visibly sag under the weight. She couldn't go on like this any longer. Everything was getting completely out of hand and she knew of only one way to make it all stop, whatever the consequences may be.

It was time.

Time for admitting her lie about Connor.

Time for facing up to her mistake.

Time for the truth.

Turning to the man sitting silently next to her, she drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves and said, "William, there's something I have to tell you."

END CHAPTER 17


	18. The Time For Truth - Part II

CHAPTER 18 – The Time For Truth – Part II

William sat quietly by Elizabeth's side and shook his head slightly in resignation at Dawn's suggestive words before flicking a glance at her elder sister.

Elizabeth's expression betrayed far more than she knew as she watched the door close behind her sister, but he refused to allow himself to weaken. This wouldn't be a situation she could likely ignore and he had no doubt that he was about to be on the end of a lengthy tongue-lashing…although most definitely not of the kind he'd more readily prefer, he acknowledged ruefully as he squirmed uncomfortably at the mental picture of her head in his lap.

He heard her sigh heavily and then felt the bed move slightly and looked up to find her staring at him with an almost fearful look.

"William, there's something I have to tell you," she began and he felt his stomach knot at the realisation that this was it. Finally…she was going to confess and he was suddenly nervous as hell at the thought as it hit him that this was where the games stopped once and for all.

No more hiding and no more lies…on either side, because if there was going to be any way for their relationship to actually develop into something as long lasting as he intended it to be, he knew he had to admit his deceit as well as her.

Elizabeth swallowed hard and tried the calm the millions of butterflies that had suddenly taken flight within her stomach. She was terrified by what she was about to do, but she knew she had to bring this farcical engagement to an end before things went any further.

A warmth engulfed one of her hands and she looked down to see that William had taken hold of it and was rubbing his thumb, almost comfortingly, over the back as if he knew what she was going through and was trying to help her.

That feeling, ridiculous and unfounded though it was, gave her the courage to look back up at him and say breathlessly, "William, I lied to you. I've never been engaged to Connor…or anyone else."

She waited anxiously for him to betray the anger she knew he must be feeling…for the explanations he was sure to demand, but instead, astoundingly, his grip on her hand tightened slightly before he simply said, "Yes, I know."

Elizabeth's reaction was instantaneous. "You know!" she cried in surprise. Suddenly, she was the one who was angry. Wrenching her hand from his grasp, she flung back the covers and attempted to scramble out of bed.

Anticipating her move, William grabbed her around the waist effectively staying her flight. "Ah, ah, ah, not so fast," he told her as she pushed ineffectually against his chest. "You're going to stay right here and talk this out."

Raising her gaze to pin him with a furious look, she suddenly stilled.

The muted light that emanated from the forgotten lamp that still lay on the floor cast a warm glow over the bed and the man who, despite his curt words, was looking at her with such an expression of tenderness that it made her heart ache.

There was something extremely difficult about remaining angry at a person when they were looking at you like that and when you wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss the male mouth so temptingly close to your own.

As if sensing the change in her demeanour, William slowly released his hold on her and eased himself up until he was propped on one arm and looking down at her troubled features.

Her own arms dropped back to her sides and, for the first time, she got a decent look at his leanly toned chest. When he moved an arm across to lay it loosely over her waist, she marvelled at the play of his muscles under the pale smoothness of his skin and felt her mouth go dry while at the same time experiencing a rush of wetness in her nether regions that had her reflexively squeezing her legs tightly together.

Dragging her gaze back to his eyes, she tried to gather her scattered wits together and shakily asked, "H-How did you find out?" Seconds later, another thought struck her and she added in a stronger tone, "And why did you pretend that we were engaged? I mean…"

"No," William interrupted quietly, but firmly. "Your explanations first."

Her explanations first? Elizabeth looked at him uncertainly. His expression was one of determination and yet, behind that resolve, she could swear that she saw anxiety, even pain, shadowing his eyes.

Telling herself that she was imagining it and acknowledging that he probably had every right to demand some kind of justification from her, she steeled herself to be as honest with him as she could…without revealing her true feelings, of course.

"Come on, Elizabeth," William urged doggedly. "Tell me why you felt the need to pretend you were engaged to Connor."

"Well…it was the shock of seeing you here," she began hesitantly. "And it was a shock. I thought…" She stopped and bit her lip worriedly before looking away.

The truth seemed so appallingly insulting all of a sudden that Elizabeth was suddenly unsure how to voice it. It'd all seemed perfectly logical then, when she didn't really know William, to assume that he, like Parker, was quite prepared to use a woman sexually without feeling the slightest degree of emotion or commitment for her. However, now that she actually knew William…

She swallowed, wishing that this were all just a dream and that she would wake up and find herself…where? Somewhere that William didn't exist?

No! Of course not!

Even here, now, when her mind was stricken with guilt and pain, her body was still drawing pleasure and comfort from its closeness to William's. Her body had no conscience, no doubts, no fears. It only knew that it loved William, while her mind, her brain…

"You thought what?" William prompted impatiently. "That I'd demand you make an honest man of me, and so to stop me you invented a non-existent fiancé?" he suggested with faint amusement.

Elizabeth gaped as her gaze returned to his and shook her head immediately. "No…no, of course not," she denied.

He sighed. "Well, if that wasn't the reason, then why did you appropriate your sister's fiancé?"

"I thought you were going to try and make me…" She paused and tried again. "I thought you wanted…"

Oh, for heaven's sake, this was even more difficult that she'd imagined. The words just stuck in her throat, refusing to be uttered.

"You thought that I wanted to make love to you, is that it?" William supplied helpfully.

"Not exactly," Elizabeth admitted quietly. "I've already tried to tell you, I thought you wanted to have sex with me, William," she told him, stressing the words with a distaste she couldn't quite hide. "I thought you'd assumed that because of…of what had already happened, that I'd be only too willing to be your sexual partner."

He was angry now. She could see it in his eyes, in the tightening of his jaw and the small muscle that flickered dangerously there.

"You thought that I…"

"I didn't know you, William," Elizabeth hastened to point out.

"No, you didn't," William agreed curtly. "So why assume that I would behave so…so basely? Did that night really mean so little to you that you could actually think…"

He broke off, so obviously trying to control his anger that Elizabeth felt her guilt increase.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth whispered contritely. "I misjudged you, I realise that now, but at the time everything you said seemed to confirm my fears. You said you wanted…"

"I said I wanted you," William inserted abruptly. "And I did, but never in the kind of cold-blooded, cynical way you're implying." Removing his arm from around her waist, William flopped back down on the bed and raised a hand to his forehead as he digested her contorted view of his attitude. "Bloody hell, Elizabeth," he muttered unhappily. "You don't have much opinion of my sex, do you? Or is it just me?"

Elizabeth turned her head to look at him feeling bereft of his closeness with even such a tiny gap between them. "No, it isn't you," she assured him quickly. "On the contrary, the first time we met, you gave me the impression that you didn't have a very good opinion of my sex, William."

When he remained silent, Elizabeth sighed and moved her head to stare up at the ceiling. After her ordeal with Parker, she'd vowed never to speak of him again but she'd gotten this far and the words now seemed to want to be spoken of their own volition. "My experience with men is…was…very limited," she said, quietly. "I fell in love when I was at university and he…Parker…well, I thought he loved me in return, but…he was just using me. He made it more than plain to me that, for men, sex is just a physical appetite, completely divorced from emotion."

William listened to her give him the outline of Parker's betrayal and easily heard the pain that that time still evoked. Taking his hand away from his head, he turned to look at her averted features and felt his annoyance begin to ebb away. Emotionally, they were both so alike.

"For some men, that's very true," he said, drawing her gaze back to his with his words. "And for some women it is too. Dru, my fiancée, was the same. She was sleeping with me, letting me believe she loved me, when in reality…" He stopped and sighed heavily again as the memories of that time threatened to fuel his anger once more.

"She must have hurt you badly," Elizabeth whispered, her heart tightening at the thought of him with the other, faceless woman.

"I thought she did," William murmured back. "And like a fool, I clung to my resentment, telling myself that no one was ever going to hurt me like that again." His voice dropped in timbre and his eyes softened to that tender look she'd see before as he moved his arm and clasped one of her hands under the covers then added meaningfully, "That…I was never going to fall in love again."

Elizabeth's heart jumped frantically and she felt as if she'd completely lost the ability to breathe. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? But he couldn't be. It was too unbelievable, too wonderful to be true. No, he was simply talking about his past, nothing more. There was no hidden meaning in his words or his eyes…no matter how much she wanted there to be.

William had hoped that his hint would be enough to spark some kind of reaction out of Elizabeth but, as he watched the expressions cross her face, he knew the moment that denial set in and suddenly reached the end of his frustrated tether.

"God, Elizabeth!" he groaned in exasperation as he sat up and rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. "I'm so bloody tired of these ridiculous games." He looked back over his shoulder at her, his gaze pleading as he uttered softly, "Just tell me that this thing that happened between us meant as much to you as it did to me." Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he reclined back slowly then turned onto his side and he rested on his elbow once more. "Just tell me that you want me…" He reached out and gently ran a finger down the side of her flushed cheek, his voice lowering huskily as he added, "…just tell me that…you love me."

Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath and immediately tensed. His hand caressing her face, his body so close to hers…she wanted nothing more than to throw caution to the wind and do exactly as he'd asked, but she couldn't. Although the protective walls around her heart were shaking on their very foundations, they were still holding together…just about. She'd been so wrong about Parker that she didn't trust her own judgement anymore and William hadn't actually said the words to her, had he?

"Buffy, please," William entreated as he withdrew his hand and looked at her imploringly. "I can't go on like this much longer. It's driving me insane. You're driving me insane. These past few weeks living close to you, wanting you…believing you belonged to someone else and wanting to hurt him for not looking after you, for not loving you like he should."

He ran a hand through his already tousled curls and shook his head. "I couldn't understand why you needed to turn to me for physical satisfaction…why he hadn't valued and treasured the precious gift you gave to me. All this time and I couldn't decide who I hated most…him for having your love, you for loving him and not me or myself for loving a woman I couldn't have."

He paused and stared intensely at her for a moment knowing that it was his turn to explain his deceit.

"Today, when I discovered the truth…when I found out from Dawn that Connor had never been engaged to you, I told myself that you deserved to be punished for what you put me through. I told myself that, since I already knew you wanted me physically, there must be a way to get you to want me emotionally as well…but I can't go on with it. Another five seconds in this damn bed with you and I'm going to forget everything I've told myself and make love to you which is the last thing I should be doing if you don't love me as…" He stopped and swallowed hard before saying, "…as, I love you."

Ignoring her gasp of surprise, William drew in a shaky breath, determined to finish what he had to say before he lost all courage…even if it did end up costing him the love of his life. "So, if there's no future in what I feel for you, if all you were really doing that night we met was indulging in some…sexual exploration, then tell me now and I'll get out of this bed and leave you alone. For good."

If every word he had just uttered hadn't been raw with emotion and truth, just one look into his eyes would've convinced her that this was no game, no clever lie. He loved her. He really did.

The realisation brought an emotional rush of moisture to her eyes and her throat ached so much that she couldn't speak, couldn't tell him what was in her heart, couldn't do anything other than push herself up slightly and place a soft kiss against the rigid outline of his neck.

Eyes rolling shut, William groaned slightly as he succumbed to the feel of her lips moving their way steadily up the column of his throat. God he wanted her…but not like this, not when she hadn't said anything. Opening his eyes, he used every ounce of willpower to raise his hand then slide his fingers, almost roughly, into her hair before tilting her head back so that he could look at her face.

"I meant what I said, Buffy," he told her hoarsely. "I won't…can't make love to you without knowing if you too, feel the same way as I do."

Elizabeth stared at his earnest features and felt the wall around her heart begin to crumble away. She knew now that it was time for her to be as completely honest with him and he had been with her. He wasn't another Parker, she knew that, had known it for a while but just refused to allow herself to acknowledge it. Instead, she'd kept up her barriers and hid behind them because she was too scared to let herself feel again. Too scared of opening herself up and being hurt again. But there was no need to be scared any longer because William loved her.

He loved her!

Gazing into his expressive clear blue eyes, Elizabeth wondered how she ever thought Parker's lukewarm glances and poor declarations were generated from love. It was all so obvious now and she was mortified that she'd allowed herself to compare William's and Parker's actions in any way, shape or form. There was no comparison; William was so much more the better person…the better man.

As the last brick turned to dust, Elizabeth gave William a tremulous smile and said, "Of course I feel the same way as you do, William, I've betrayed it a thousand times whenever I'm with you."

William's grasp on her head increased slightly as a look of hope flared in his eyes. "You do?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she confirmed in the same tone.

"Then say it, Buffy. Let me hear you say it so that I know I'm not dreaming," he ordered gruffly.

Realising that she hadn't actually said the words as yet, Elizabeth eagerly obliged. "I love you, William," she said on a whisper as her smile grew tender. "I love you."

"Oh God, Buffy," he murmured ardently before capturing her lips in a drugging kiss. Elizabeth's arms immediately wrapped themselves around his neck, pulling him closer to her so that his body settled half over hers, pushing her down into the soft mattress.

Again and again their lips met and tongues clashed as the kisses became more and more intense. Removing his hand from her hair, he ran it down her neck and shoulder then further down the front of her body, stopping just short of her breast.

"Please," William suddenly rasped, panting harshly as he broke away from their kiss. "Let me love you, Buffy. Let me show you what I feel."

Elizabeth's eyes were half-closed with passion, her own breathing just as ragged as his. She knew how he felt because she felt it too. In mute supplication, she arched up under him, revelling in the rigid hardness of his entire body.

William let out an involuntary groan then dipped his head and trailed wet kisses down her throat, following the same path his hand had done seconds before. Instead of stopping, however, his mouth continued on until it found the hardened bud of her nipple pushing against its silken confines.

Teasing the nub through the material with his lips, William then used his tongue to flick back and forth across the top causing Elizabeth to gasp loudly as the combined sensation of the silky material and his hot mouth caused a sensuous friction which sent a shockwave of lust throughout her whole system.

William slowly slid his hand down her side over the contours of her body until he reached her thigh then dragged his hand back up again, pulling her nightdress with it to bunch around her waist. As he began to move his hand back down, Elizabeth grabbed hold of it gently causing him to raise his head and look at her questioningly.

"I…I want you…in…inside me," she whispered falteringly. "N-now, William. Please."

William's passion soared at her hesitant request and he nodded briefly. Shifting slightly, he moved to settle comfortably between her legs, his cock, heavy and swollen with need, nestled snugly against the entrance of her womanhood just waiting to be allowed entry.

Resting on his elbow, he moved his free arm down between their bodies then took hold of himself and gently rubbed the head of his member up and down her slick folds, relishing how wet she was for him. William stared down into Elizabeth's eyes, watching her reaction as he probed deeper before slowly pushing forward into her welcoming body.

She drew in a sharp breath then bit her lip and shut her eyes as her tight channel yielded and stretched to accommodate William's rigid length. Never had anything felt so good. So right.

Elizabeth was as hot and as tight as William remembered and he knew he was finally home. "Yessss," he groaned when he was completely sheathed within her, his own eyes rolling shut despite his best efforts to remain looking at her. He waited a few seconds to try and get his ragged breathing and ready body under control. He knew he wasn't going to last long, he wanted her too much for that.

Forcing his eyes open, he saw that she was looking at him with undisguised love and he inhaled deeply. It seemed as if he'd waited forever have her look at him that way…to love him that way.

Still on his elbows, he slid his hands under her back and up so that his fingers curled over the top of her shoulders then began to move his hips. Slowly at first, his tempo soon increased as the need of their coupling overwhelmed the pair of them after having denied themselves for so long.

Reaching down, William tugged at Elizabeth's leg, urging her to wrap it around his waist and making them both groan in renewed pleasure as the new position enabled his long strokes to delve even deeper inside her.

"So good," he muttered, thrusting harder and eliciting a series of appreciative whimpers and moans from Elizabeth who could already feel the oncoming rush of orgasm.

Although their first time together had been wonderful, Elizabeth realised that being in love, and knowing it, enhanced this union of their feelings…their very souls, a thousand-fold. Banding her legs even tighter around his waist, she reached around to grasp the firm cheeks of his buttocks and urged him on further.

Heat was radiating from her core, spreading through her body like wildfire until William and pure sensation were the only things that registered in her fevered mind as she strived to gain completion.

Sensing how near she was, William increased his efforts, surging into her powerfully again and again and again as his own need to climax took over. Groaning harshly with every thrust, he felt her begin to contract around his cock just as his sac tightened in preparation for release.

The hoarse cry of his name rung in his ears as he slammed into her twice more before finally thrusting in as far as he could go, roughly grinding his pelvis against Elizabeth's to draw her pleasure out to the maximum before jerking his head back and letting out his own shout of completion as he emptied himself inside her in rapid, pulsating bursts. "Buffy!"

As they began to calm, William found himself searching Elizabeth's face for any small sign of regret. Her eyes were closed leaving him to wonder what she was feeling. Even after what they'd just shared, there was still a part of him that worried that she might decide to withdraw back into herself.

"I love you, Buffy," he suddenly blurted out, his fervent tone conveying his uncertainty far more than he realised.

Her eyes flickered open upon hearing the undercurrent of insecurity and she gazed at his serious face for a moment before lifting her hand and gently cupped his cheek. "I love you, too, William," she responded, her voice soft, but firm.

A relieved look briefly flitted across the apprehensive man's features before he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his in a featherlight caress. She responded immediately, deepening the kiss into a languid exploration until the need for air eventually forced them to stop.

Gathering Elizabeth into his arms, William lightly kissed her forehead then rolled them over until she lay sprawled across him, smiling lazily. Picking up a strand of her hair, he absently played with it as he gave her a soft smile back.

"Well, I think we can safely say that your devious plan of revenge worked," Elizabeth commented as her finger trailed abstract shapes over his pale chest.

"Of course," he agreed smugly. "Never any doubt."

"Oh, really?" Elizabeth asked as she stilled and raised a sceptical eyebrow.

William looked sheepish for a moment and shook his head. "No…but I hoped."

Elizabeth giggled then leaned forward and kissed him lingeringly. "Well, now you know," she assured him when they finally broke apart.

William smiled and nodded then brushed her hair back from her face to study her delicate features. "You know, our bodies are a hell of a lot wiser than our minds," he said contemplatively. "They knew what we refused to believe…that we fell in love the night we met, Buffy. Since then, we've done everything we can to complicate things. Both of us have clung to our bad memories and used them as barriers against the truth, to deny our feelings and to try and destroy our love." He pulled her closer to him and added throatily. "Thank God it didn't happen."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement and smiled.

"I tried to find you, you know," he told her suddenly. "But because you'd had your car transported and had told me your name was Buffy, it was impossible. I hadn't given up though, I promise you that. I just wanted to get settled before starting to search every blasted village and farm along that bloody road to find out where you were from. I'd have found you too."

Elizabeth chuckled lightly. "I believe you," she told him placatingly and then moved her hand to cover her mouth as she yawned widely. "Sorry, I guess today has taken its toll," she said apologetically. The adrenalin rush that had carried her through all the emotional upheaval she'd been experiencing that day coupled with their energetic lovemaking had left her feeling rather flat and incredibly drowsy all of a sudden.

"Not surprising," William replied, noting the fatigue that had appeared almost instantaneously on her face. "Go to sleep," he ordered as he gently manoeuvred her onto her side and pulled the covers up snugly around them.

Elizabeth snuggled more comfortably into his arms and let herself relax. Almost immediately her breathing evened out and William dropped a light kiss on the top of her head before closing his eyes and joining her in a sleep that would prove to be far more peaceful than he'd had in weeks.

END CHAPTER 18


	19. A Little Reassurance

CHAPTER 19 - A Little Reassurance

It was much later than usual when Elizabeth woke up, she could tell from the way the sunlight streamed through the crack in the curtains. Not that she minded, it'd actually done her good, she'd obviously slept much more deeply and relaxingly than normal.

Stretching her pleasantly aching body, she arched her back luxuriously then froze, her eyes snapping open when the previous night's events suddenly came flooding back in a rush.

William had said he loved her…and she'd said she loved him. She felt her face flush slightly when she recalled how they'd then shown each other exactly how much, her body tingling and warming in reaction at the remembered passion.

A coy smile formed on her lips and she turned her head, eager to look at the man who'd so unexpectedly come into her life and completely turned it upside down. She blinked, the smile slowly fading from her mouth as disappointment flooded her system when she saw that the space next to her was empty.

Had it all been a dream? A really fantastic, explicit dream? From the slight soreness of her body, she seriously doubted it.

Sitting up slowly, she glanced around the room as if William would magically appear out of thin air. This wasn't right, was it? After their admissions of love and the tenderness they'd shared, shouldn't he have woken her up with those body melting kisses of his…or at the very least, still be in the bed next to her asleep?

Maybe he'd just gone to the bathroom, she decided, looking hopefully at her bedroom door. He'd be back in a few seconds and everything would be alright again. Realising that if he had just left then the space next to her should still be warm, she reached out under the covers and felt her heart trip when she felt how cool they were.

Obviously, William had been gone a while.

"Oh God," she suddenly muttered, feeling her throat tighten ominously as the part of her that couldn't forget Parker's duplicity rose to the fore and planted a tiny seed of niggling doubt that incited cold fingers of dread to creep up her spine.

Had it all been a lie after all?

Had all his words and actions been some hurtful game?

Had he merely proclaimed he loved her purely to bed her again?

She shook her head in negation, determinedly battling her internal demons of insecurity. No! He was sincere, she was positive…she was!

Almost.

The handle to her door rattled and her head jerked up in time to see William enter the room balancing a tray of steaming drinks and toast in one hand while pushing the door shut with the other.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he greeted with a grin as he walked over and put the tray down on the bedside cabinet. "About time you woke up, although I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that I don't get to wake you up in my own way," he revealed with a chuckle as he bent down and picked up the lamp that was still laying on the floor.

Switching it off, he then placed it on the cabinet next to the tray and turned around, getting his first good look at her since he'd walked in. Tensing, the smile immediately left his face as he took in her taut, pale features and felt a wave of nausea roll over him as it struck him that she looked as though she was apparently having regrets.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, William forcibly pushed it away. He'd already made too many assumptions when it came to Elizabeth and if he wanted this to work out as much as he did then he was going to have to learn to talk about things more…they both were.

"Buffy?" he queried guardedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth mumbled with a sniff before looking down at the bedspread and blinking rapidly in order to stay the tears of relief that threatened to flow.

God, she was an idiot. Once again, she'd allowed all her fears to overcloud what she knew to be true and had worked herself into a right state over naught. She knew her lack of self-confidence was low, but she hadn't quite realised just how bad it was until that moment. True, their relationship was still new…very new…but to imagine the worst without even speaking to him…she really, really needed to work on that.

"Tears don't usually mean nothing," William pointed out softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. Gently, he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face so he could get a good look at her. "Are you sorry about…last night?" he asked apprehensively.

"No," Elizabeth assured him with a watery smile. "No, not at all. I-it's just me being stupid, that's all."

"Stupid, how?" he asked with a slight frown as he removed his hand from her face.

Looking away, Elizabeth sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I just kind of…panicked when I woke up and…and you weren't there," she admitted hesitantly.

William stared at her downbent head and felt his heart contract. It didn't take a genius to work out what she was implying and he quickly quelled his initial reaction of irritation that after everything they'd shared, she'd believe that he'd behave like that.

Instead, muttering her name, he reached out and pulled her into his warm embrace, hoping to reassure her and soothe her unfounded fears. When he'd first woken up and seen her sleeping so peacefully next to him, he'd simply lain and stared at her for ages, convincing himself that this was real and that Elizabeth actually loved him.

With his newfound feelings of love, he'd discovered a new kind of caring and knowing that it was his lovemaking that had worn her out he'd decided to get up and surprise her with breakfast in bed. He'd never even considered how she'd feel if she woke up and found him gone, but now that he knew, he gave himself a mental kick upside the head for causing her such distress.

"I'm sorry, love," he said contritely, turning his head to place a gentle kiss on her temple. "I should've been here when you woke up…I just didn't think…"

"No, no, it's okay," she replied, pulling back a little to look at him, the tears no longer evident in her eyes. "Really. It's not you, it's me. I…I just…I mean, I guess it's still all sinking in."

William smiled and nodded his head. "I know how you feel," he commented with feeling, his warm gaze never leaving hers. Lifting his hand, he gently smoothed her hair back from her face and then cupped her cheek, his thumb lightly caressing her soft skin. "I am sorry, Buffy," he told her again, his sincerity clear. She opened her mouth to say something but he shook his head, stopping her. "I know I made a mistake this morning, and God knows, I'll probably make a few more as time goes on because I'm not perfect but you can be damn sure that what happened this morning will never happen again."

Hearing the promise in his voice and seeing the sentiment echoed in his eyes, Elizabeth could only nod. "I know," she said huskily.

"Good," he said in a relieved tone before leaning in and brushing a gentle kiss across her lips.

She smiled and let out a long sigh. "I've got to learn not to keep thinking the worst, but it's hard."

"We've both got our insecurities but that's natural considering our pasts, Love," William said insightfully. "Hell, I think we've both come a long way just since yesterday, but I'm sure there'll be a few more bumps in the road yet…that's life. But we'll pull through them…together."

She nodded, his words oddly reassuring even though they predicted uncertain times ahead because it showed that he intended to be with her for a good long while.

Determined to lighten the mood, she leaned forward and gave him a brief kiss on the lips then pulled back and looked over at the tray of food expectantly. "Right then…breakfast."

Following her lead in changing the subject, William glanced over at the tray then looked back at her and said teasingly, "When I woke up this morning, I still couldn't believe you'd said you loved me and so I thought I'd hedge my bets and bribe you with breakfast in bed."

Elizabeth looked up at him from beneath her lashes, her lips quirking slightly. "That's the way to a man's heart, not a woman's," she pointed out dryly.

William's eyebrows rose and his smile widened at her response. "So it is," he agreed as he reached out and picked up the plate of toast. "Well then, since this isn't going to get me anywhere with you, I'd better have it then, eh?"

He picked up half a slice and opened his mouth to take a bite only to have both the bread and the plate snatched from his hands at the last minute.

"Hey, that's mine!" Elizabeth exclaimed before taking a bite of the toast. William watched her devour the food in record time with obvious amusement. "What?" Elizabeth queried self-consciously when she'd finished. "I was hungry."

"Looks like," William agreed dryly as he took her plate and put it back on the tray. "Not surprising considering how little you ate yesterday."

"I was worried," she defended herself mildly as her bottom lip jutted out slightly.

William's gaze locked on her mouth then, unable to stop himself, he leaned in and captured her pouty lip between his teeth giving it a gentle nip.

Elizabeth responded, parting her lips, encouraging him to deepen the kiss as she ran her hands up the front of his chest and under his robe. William leaned into her touch, his own hands coming to rest on her waist.

The kiss was long and unhurried, an act of two people who were simply in love.

When they broke apart Elizabeth gave him a regretful smile. "I guess I should get up and see to Dawn and Connor," she said on a sigh.

"They've gone out," William informed her as he leaned forward to nuzzle at her neck. "I saw them this morning when I was downstairs making the toast. She said that they'd be out until around lunchtime."

"She did?" Elizabeth queried on a gasp as his hand slowly slid up her body to gently cup her breast. Her head dropped back and eyes fell shut as William expertly brought her body alight. "So…we're alone then?"

"Completely," William clarified before pushing her abruptly back onto the bed and dipping his head to capture her lips.

This time the kiss was demanding and urgent as he sought to arouse and inflame. Elizabeth tugged on his robe and William stopped his devastating onslaught for the briefest of moments to roughly shrug off the offending item and throw it on the floor before jerking back the covers and joining her in bed.

Elizabeth's nightgown soon followed the way of William's robe and they both sighed in pleasure as their bodies finally met, skin to heated skin. Lips barely parting for more than a few seconds at any one time, they made love slowly, hands exploring each other's now familiar contours, kneading and stroking, their touch both urgent and tender in a mixture of reassurance and desire.

And then, when he eventually sank into her warm, welcoming heat, he began a steady rhythm of long, measured strokes demanding a response she was unable to resist. Moving together as one, their bodies strained and ground against each other trying to give and receive as much pleasure as possible before succumbing to their mutual need for fulfilment, words of love tumbling from their lips.

As their breathing calmed down, William gave her a lingering kiss then gently pulled out of her and moved down slightly, laying his head down comfortably on her chest with a contented sigh. "I think I'm just going to stay here all day," he mumbled lazily as he nuzzled against her damp skin.

Elizabeth looked down at the top of his head and smiled as she lifted a hand to run her fingers through his mussed up hair. It struck her that they hadn't been using any kind of protection and for once in her sensible life, she found that she didn't care about the possible repercussions of her actions. Whatever happened, she was certain that William would be there for her…for them. True, he hadn't mentioned marriage…far to early to be thinking about that…well, for him anyway…but for her, she knew this was it; that there'd never be another.

"Mmmm, definitely staying here all day," he declared, snuggling into her further, enjoying her gentle touch.

Elizabeth let out a little giggle and suddenly felt freer than she had in years. Here she was, laying in bed in the middle of the morning with her lover in her arms…

She sighed and let those two words roll around in her brain for a moment, relishing the sound of them. Her lover. It was amazing how quickly she'd become accustomed to those words in relation to William, particularly after all of her self-righteous determination to remain unmoved…not that that had ever really worked.

He'd battled against her defences again and again and she now wondered why she ever fought against it so hard…especially when his tongue was gently running along the underside of her breast like that…

Drawing in a sharp breath at the sensation, she about to say something about him being insatiable when she was silenced by the muffled sound of the front door opening and shutting. The voices of Dawn and Connor could be dimly heard as they entered the house and William lifted his head to look at her ruefully.

"So much for being out until lunchtime," he commented on a sigh. "Oh well, as much I'd love to stay here, we should really be getting up anyway…you've got a lot of shopping to do." Rolling off her, he threw back the cover then sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down to pick up his robe.

"For what?" she queried curiously as he stood up and slipped into his robe.

Tying his belt securely about his waist, William glanced over his shoulder at her then, in a tone that told her he thought it was obvious, said, "For your wedding dress of course."

Elizabeth stared at him, stunned. "My what?" she asked faintly, not sure if she heard him right.

Looking away, William felt a little of his nerve falter and briefly wondered if he was pushing too fast. They'd only just admitted their feelings. Just because he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Elizabeth, it didn't mean that she did too. Hell, she probably hadn't even thought about it.

"William?" Elizabeth pressed when he remained silent. Maybe she hadn't heard right after all, she thought, feeling her stomach drop in disappointment.

Drawing in a deep breath, William turned to face her and summoned a confident smile. "I said we need to get you a wedding dress…I believe we did say we'd marry in June, didn't we?" Tilting his head, his gaze softened as he added huskily, "And I do intend to carry that out, Elizabeth…if you'll have me, of course?"

Wide-eyed, Elizabeth continued to stare at him as his words slowly began to sink in. "Oh my God," she breathed before her whole face lit up in delight. With a small shriek, she threw back the covers then launched herself from the bed into his waiting arms.

Wrapping her arms tight around his neck and legs banding around his waist, she kissed him hard. "Yes, yes, yes," she said joyfully between kisses, causing William to let out a delighted laugh.

"God I love you!" he announced, suddenly sobering and looking at her intently.

"Wanna show me again just how much?" Elizabeth urged on a whisper as she wriggled against him causing the towelling fabric of the robe to rub roughly against his burgeoning erection.

His answer was a slow smile as he took a couple of steps forward then let himself fall onto the bed, pinning her beneath him. They'd go out for her dress later.

xxxxxxx

That night, Elizabeth got into bed and let out a long sigh. It had been quite a day all in all. When she and William had finally gotten up and gone downstairs, they'd been met by Dawn and Connor who were both sporting identical knowing smiles.

Naturally, Elizabeth had been a little embarrassed but once William had announced their 'proper' engagement, all of her discomfit had melted away in the light of her sister's and fiancé's obvious delight.

At some point amid the congratulations, Giles had come home. Once over his surprise at seeing his youngest niece and her fiancé, he was then informed of his eldest niece's engagement. He'd accepted this news with a pleased smile then hugged Elizabeth and given her a kiss on the cheek and shaken William's hand firmly, telling the young man that it was 'about time'. William had appeared surprised at the older man's perception but had agreed with him whole-heartedly nonetheless.

The sound of the door opening and closing snapped her out of her recollection and caused a smile to bloom on her lips. The bed dipped slightly next to her and she turned her head to watch William settle under the covers, his arm snaking out to grab her about the waist and draw her closer to him.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked softly.

"Today," she replied.

He picked up her left hand. "Are you sure you like the ring? Because if not we can go back tomorrow and get the diamond…" he began, only to stop when Elizabeth gently extricated herself from his grip and touched a finger to his lips.

"It's perfect," she assured him, looking at the simple elegance of the emerald and white gold ring that now adorned her engagement finger. "Exactly what I wanted."

William's concerned face visibly relaxed into a smile and he pursed his lips to place a light kiss on her finger. "Good."

"So, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth suddenly asked, removing her hand. "I thought we agreed that as it was Uncle Rupert's house…"

"Rupert and I had a little chat and he's very understanding," William told her with a grin. "Plus he's staying over at his friend's house again tonight. Apparently, she's decided to stay on here for another few days so I don't expect we'll be seeing much of him for the next week."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "She! You mean…?"

William nodded and her face suddenly crumpled into one of horror. "Ugh, I could've lived a good few years without having to know that much detail about my uncle's personal life," she commented with a shudder.

William chuckled and snuggled in closer. "Well, I'm not complaining," he said, leaning in to nuzzle gently at her neck. "Means we get to spend these nights together."

Elizabeth sighed. "No complaints here either," she murmured, marvelling at how her body immediately responded to his even lightest touch.

Turning onto her side, she began indulging in the pleasure of tasting the strong, warm male body so temptingly close to her own and rediscovering the magic of that one, very special night they had shared, secure in the knowledge that their love for each other would be forever.

END CHAPTER 19


	20. Epilogue: Still In Love

Epilogue - Still In Love

"I could definitely get used to this," Willow sighed as she settled back onto her lounger.

"The view or the lounging?" Elizabeth asked from her own lounger that was sited next to Willow's.

"Both," the redhead replied with a grin.

It was a hot day in early September, just over a year since Elizabeth and William's wedding. A lot had happened during that time. They'd had their up's and down's, their tears and laughter and they'd worked hard at extinguishing their insecurities, amazingly finding themselves even more in love with each other than they'd ever thought possible.

A few months after their union, Willow and Oz had married in a quiet registry office ceremony. Dawn and Connor had also recently married, although they'd had a far larger do than either Elizabeth or Willow.

Giles and his 'friend', Jenny, had finally moved in together after much discussion, leaving William and Elizabeth with the option of purchasing his house which they'd jumped at the chance to do.

And now, in the large garden of said home, the women were lazing around on sunlounger's protected from the sun by a large green umbrella as they watched their respective shirtless spouses trying to fix the lawnmower.

Elizabeth smiled, enjoying the sight of male flesh on show as much as her friend. "Maybe we should get a new mower," she said absently, her eyes locked on the play of her husband's muscles as he worked to pry yet another broken blade loose.

Willow stared at her own husband's compact, muscular form as he held the mower steady for William then looked over at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth caught her gaze then, grinning unabashedly at each other they both chorused, "Nah," before bursting into laughter.

The men paused in their work to glance over at the women before looking at each other and shaking their heads then letting out joint long suffering sigh's as they continued on with their task.

Still chuckling, Elizabeth sipped her orange juice then put the glass down on the ground next to her. Straightening up, she suddenly drew in a sharp breath and froze.

"Elizabeth?" Willow queried in concern as she saw her friend go deathly still. "Is everything okay?" When she remained silent, Willow sat up and reached over to touch her arm. "Elizabeth," she said, a little louder this time.

Hearing the worried tone of Willow's voice, William immediately looked over and noted with trepidation, the shocked expression on his wife's face. Dropping the wrench he held, William rose to his feet and quickly strode over to the women with Oz following closely behind.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as he looked from Elizabeth to Willow and back again before dropping to his knees next to his wife's lounger.

"I don't know," Willow replied, grasping her husband's hand as he come to sit down next to her. "One minute we were laughing and the next she just froze."

Gently cupping Elizabeth's face, William turned her to face him and felt his stomach drop at the sight of tears swimming in the green depths of her eyes. "Love?" he queried softly. "What's the matter?"

Slowly, Elizabeth blinked and then a tremulous smile bloomed on her face moments before she threw her arms around William's neck and clutched him tightly to her. "Oh my God, she kicked, William, she actually kicked!" Elizabeth managed to get out between a mixture of laughter and tears. "I can't believe it!"

Abruptly, William pulled back to look questioningly into her watery eyes then, at her nod of confirmation, he let his gaze drop to her softly rounded stomach and felt his own eyes begin to tear. Reverently, he reached out and gently laid his hand against her belly. "Where?" he choked out.

Elizabeth grasped his hand and moved it slightly to the right. "Just here," she replied, holding his palm flat against her firm skin. Seconds later, she felt the fluttering sensation again and gapsed as their baby moved strongly against the walls of her womb.

"I felt her," William whispered, his face reflecting his awe. Locking eyes with Elizabeth, his whole expression changed as the reality of feeling their child move sank in. "I felt her," he repeated in a louder voice, then suddenly let out a shout of joyful laughter and leaned in to give Elizabeth an exuberant kiss that left her breathless.

Elizabeth laughed along with him then turned to Willow and Oz who were watching them both with delighted faces. This was her world and she'd never felt so at peace or more comfortable with herself in her entire life.

Looking back at William, she saw the same expression mirrored in his loving gaze and felt whole. They'd come so far from that fateful night so long ago when their bodies and hearts had overruled their heads. Now they were married and getting ready to have a family of their own…something she'd once despaired of ever happening to her.

Not for the first time, Elizabeth sent up a silent prayer of thanks for whoever deigned that she should be lucky enough to meet the wonderful man that was her husband.

"I love you, William," she said softly.

"I love you, too, Buffy," he replied.

Smiling happily, they moved into each other's embrace and shared a lingering lover's kiss secure in the knowledge that they were loved and that they were finally home.

THE END


End file.
